The Championship season will begin with a bang as relegated West Ham travel to Burnley on Sunday 16 August – a meeting of two sides desperate to return to the Premier League at the first attempt. The fixture list, released on Thursday, pits the three clubs that dropped out of the top flight against each other in the opening round, with Wolves launching the season at home to Blackburn on Friday 14 August.
West Ham, who spent 14 consecutive seasons in the Premier League before going down on the final day, will play Championship football for the first time since 2011-12. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has stayed on despite relegation, armed with the experience of winning the second-tier title with Wolves in 2017-18. Burnley, by contrast, remain without a manager after Scott Parker left in May and a bid to appoint Wales boss Craig Bellamy collapsed. The Clarets finished 19th last season and have been promoted or relegated in each of the past four campaigns.
“Relegated West Ham and Burnley meet on opening weekend; Wolves host Blackburn in curtain-raiser.”
Wolves, bottom of the Premier League in 2025-26, have moved swiftly under new head coach César Peixoto, signing former England defender Kieran Trippier and Mexico striker Raúl Jiménez. They meet a Blackburn side now managed by Tony Mowbray, back for a second spell.
Southampton, who will start the season on minus four points after the Spygate scandal, travel to Watford on the opening weekend. The Saints were expelled from the play-offs in May after a member of staff was caught spying on Middlesbrough training. Boro, beaten play-off finalists, host Lincoln City – back in the second tier for the first time in 65 years.
The opening weekend also features a Monday night Welsh derby between promoted Cardiff and Wrexham, while in League One, Leicester City – Premier League champions only a decade ago – begin their first season in the third tier at Notts County. York City return to League Two after a 10-year absence with a home game against Bristol Rovers.
All three relegated clubs will be aware of the danger: in each of the past two seasons, a team dropping from the Premier League has suffered a second successive demotion to League One. Former champions Leicester went that way last year, following Luton Town.