The countdown to the start of the 2025/26 season begins, and excitement builds as the EFL fixtures and TV selections are revealed.
All 72 clubs found out who would play who and when at 12pm on Thursday the 26th of June 2025, a few weeks after the Premier League fixture list was released.
The 2025/26 season will get underway over the weekends of 1-3 August in League One and League Two and 8-10 August in the Championship.
The scheduled 46 rounds of League matches will take place across 33 weekends, nine midweeks and four Bank Holidays in the Championship, with Leagues One and Two playing over 33 weekends, five midweeks and eight Bank Holidays and International Breaks.
Right then, without further ado, take a look at the EFL Championship, League One and League Two fixtures for the 2025/26 season as they are revealed…
CHAMPIONSHIP – OPENING WEEKEND
Friday August 8
Birmingham vs Ipswich, kick-off 8pm – Live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports+
Saturday August 9
Southampton vs Wrexham, kick-off 12:30pm – Live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports+
Charlton vs Watford, kick-off 12:30pm -Live on Sky Sports+
Coventry vs Hull, kick-off 12:30pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Middlesbrough vs Swansea, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Norwich vs Millwall, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Oxford vs Portsmouth, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
QPR vs Preston, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Stoke vs Derby, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
West Brom vs Blackburn, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Sheff Utd vs Bristol City, kick-off 5:30pm – Live on Sky Sports Football
Sunday August 10
Leicester vs Sheff Wed, kick-off 4.30pm – Live on Sky Sports Football
LEAGUE ONE – OPENING WEEKEND
Friday August 1
Luton vs Wimbledon, kick-off 8pm – Live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports+
Saturday August 2
Blackpool vs Stevenage, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Bradford vs Wycombe, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Burton vs Mansfield, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Cardiff vs Peterborough, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports+
Doncaster vs Exeter, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Huddersfield vs Leyton Orient, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Lincoln vs Reading, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Plymouth vs Barnsley, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Rotherham vs Port Vale, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Wigan vs Northampton, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Sunday August 3
Stockport vs Bolton, kick-off 12pm – Live on Sky Sports+
LEAGUE TWO – OPENING WEEKEND
Saturday August 2
Accrington vs Gillingham, kick-off 3pm- Live on Sky Sports+
Barnet v Fleetwood, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports+
Bristol Rovers v Harrogate, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Cambridge v Cheltenham, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Chesterfield v Barrow, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Colchester v Tranmere, kick-off 3pm- Live on Sky Sports+
Grimsby v Crawley, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
MK Dons v Oldham, kick-off 3pm- Live on Sky Sports+
Newport v Notts County, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Salford v Crewe, kick-off 3pm- Live on Sky Sports+
Shrewsbury v Bromley, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
Walsall v Swindon, kick-off 3pm – Live on Sky Sports+
TV SELECTIONS:
Friday 1 August
Luton Town v AFC Wimbledon – League One – 8 pm – Sky Sports Football
Saturday 2 August
Cardiff City v Peterborough United – League One – 12.30 pm – Sky Sports Football
9 matches – League One – 3 pm – Sky Sports+
12 matches – League Two – 3 pm – Sky Sports+
Sunday 3 August
Stockport County v Bolton Wanderers – League One – 12.00 pm – Sky Sports Football
Friday 8 August
Birmingham City v Ipswich Town – Championship – 8 pm – Sky Sports Football
Saturday 9 August
Southampton v Wrexham – Championship – 12.30 pm – Sky Sports Football
Charlton Athletic v Watford – Championship – 12.30 pm – Sky Sports+
Coventry City v Hull City – Championship – 12.30 pm – Sky Sports+
6 matches – Championship – 3 pm – Sky Sports+
Sheffield United v Bristol City – Championship – 5.30 pm – Sky Sports Football
Sunday 10 August
Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday – Championship – 4.30 pm – Sky Sports Football
CHAMPIONSHIP – BOXING DAY
Birmingham vs Derby
Coventry vs Swansea
Leicester vs Watford
Middlesbrough vs Blackburn
Millwall vs Ipswich
Norwich vs Charlton
Oxford vs Southampton
Portsmouth vs QPR
Sheff Wed vs Hull
Stoke vs Preston
West Brom vs Bristol City
Wrexham vs Sheff Utd
LEAGUE ONE – BOXING DAY
Wimbledon vs Stevenage
Barnsley vs Mansfield
Blackpool vs Doncaster
Bolton vs Rotherham
Bradford vs Wigan
Buton vs Northampton
Cardiff vs Exeter
Huddersfield vs Port Vale
Luton vs Wycombe
Peterborough vs Leyton Orient
Plymouth Argyle vs Reading
Stockport vs Lincoln
LEAGUE TWO – BOXING DAY
Accrington vs Barrow
Bristol Rovers vs Bromley
Cheltenham vs Shrewsbury
Chesterfield vs Notts County
Crawley vs Colchester
Gillingham vs Cambridge
Grimsby vs Oldham
MK Dons vs Swindon
Newport vs Barnet
Salford vs Harrogate
Tranmere vs Fleetwood
Walsall vs Crewe
CHAMPIONSHIP – NEW YEARS DAY
Blackburn Rovers v Wrexham
Bristol City v Portsmouth
Charlton Athletic v Coventry City
Derby County v Middlesbrough
Hull City v Stoke City
Ipswich Town v Oxford United
Preston North End v Sheffield Wednesday
Queens Park Rangers v Norwich City
Sheffield United v Leicester City
Southampton v Millwall
Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion
Watford v Birmingham City
LEAGUE ONE – NEW YEARS DAY
Doncaster Rovers v Bolton Wanderers
Exeter City v Luton Town
Leyton Orient v A.F.C. Wimbledon
Lincoln City v Huddersfield Town
Mansfield Town v Bradford City
Northampton Town v Stockport County
Port Vale v Blackpool
Reading v Burton Albion
Rotherham United v Peterborough United
Stevenage v Plymouth Argyle
Wigan Athletic v Barnsley
Wycombe Wanderers v Cardiff City
LEAGUE TWO – NEW YEARS DAY
Barnet v Crawley Town
Barrow v Salford City
Bromley v Newport County
Cambridge United v Walsall
Colchester United v Milton Keynes Dons
Crewe Alexandra v Cheltenham Town
Fleetwood Town v Grimsby Town
Harrogate Town v Tranmere Rovers
Notts County v Accrington Stanley
Oldham Athletic v Chesterfield
Shrewsbury Town v Bristol Rovers
Swindon Town v Gillingham
CHAMPIONSHIP – LAST GAME OF THE SEASON
Blackburn Rovers v Leicester City
Bristol City v Stoke City
Derby County v Sheffield United
Hull City v Norwich City
Ipswich Town v Queens Park Rangers
Millwall v Oxford United
Portsmouth v Birmingham City
Preston North End v Southampton
Sheffield Wednesday v West Bromwich Albion
Swansea City v Charlton Athletic
Watford v Coventry City
Wrexham v Middlesbrough
LEAGUE ONE – LAST GAME OF THE SEASON
A.F.C. Wimbledon v Huddersfield Town
Barnsley v Stockport County
Bolton Wanderers v Luton Town
Exeter City v Bradford City
Leyton Orient v Burton Albion
Mansfield Town v Cardiff City
Northampton Town v Plymouth Argyle
Peterborough United v Doncaster Rovers
Port Vale v Lincoln City
Reading v Blackpool
Stevenage v Wigan Athletic
Wycombe Wanderers v Rotherham United
LEAGUE TWO – LAST GAME OF THE SEASON
Barrow v Newport County
Bromley v Walsall
Cheltenham Town v Colchester United
Crawley Town v Salford City
Crewe Alexandra v Cambridge United
Fleetwood Town v Milton Keynes Dons
Gillingham v Shrewsbury Town
Harrogate Town v Barnet
Notts County v Bristol Rovers
Oldham Athletic v Accrington Stanley
Swindon Town v Chesterfield
Tranmere Rovers v Grimsby Town
You can find out the full schedule with all dates included from the following leagues, just click on the button: –
CHAMPIONSHIP
LEAGUE ONE
LEAGUE TWO
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Fixture Release Day will also see draws for the Preliminary Round and Round One of the Carabao Cup take place, as well as B Teams drawn out in the Vertu Trophy Group Stage.
The Vertu Trophy Group Stage Draw will take place at 2:30 pm, followed by both Carabao Cup draws, starting with the Preliminary Round, at 4:20 pm.
Carabao Cup 2025/26 Round Dates
Preliminary Round: w/c 4 August 2025
Round One: w/c 11 August 2025
Round Two: w/c 25 August 2025
Round Three: w/c 15 September and w/c 22 September 2025*
Round Four: w/c 27 October 2025
Round Five: w/c 15 December 2025
Semi-Final First Leg: w/c 12 January 2026
Semi-Final Second Leg: w/c 2 February 2026
Final: Sunday 22 March 2026
*Round Three will take place on the same basis as 2024/25, with split weeks for those Clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
FA Cup 2025/26 Round Dates
Extra Preliminary Round: Saturday 2 August 2025
Preliminary Round: Saturday 16 August 2025
First Round Qualifying: Saturday 30 August 2025
Second Round Qualifying: Saturday 13 September 2025
Third Round Qualifying: Saturday 27 September 2025
Fourth Round Qualifying: Saturday 11 October 2025
First Round Proper: Saturday 1 November 2025
Second Round Proper: Saturday 6 December 2025
Third Round Proper: Saturday 10 January 2026
Fourth Round Proper: Saturday 14 February 2026
Fifth Round Proper: Saturday 7 March 2026
Quarter Final: Saturday 4 April 2026
Semi-Final: Saturday 25 April 2026
The Final: Saturday 16 May 2026
The EFL have issued a statement regarding Sky Sports TV Selections Notification,,,
The 2025/26 Sky Bet EFL season is the second season of a five-year domestic broadcast deal with Sky Sports, with over 1,000 games set to be broadcast live each and every campaign.
The notice periods for selections for the 2025/26 season are as follows:
On the 2025/26 Fixture Release Day, selections shall be confirmed in respect of the opening weekends of the Championship and League One and League Two seasons.
By 3 July 2025, selections shall be announced in respect of all live broadcast matches to be played before the end of September.
By 31 July 2025, selections shall be announced in respect of all matches scheduled to be played prior to the end of the third round of the FA Cup (January 2026).
By 7 November 2025, selections shall be announced in respect of all matches to be played between the end of the third round proper of the FA Cup and the last weekend of February.
This is up to five months’ notice provided to fans and Clubs, a significant increase on the previous deal, which had seen five weeks’ notice given across the majority of the season. By selecting TV picks early and giving much more notice, fans will be able to plan with certainty when making travel and hotel arrangements.
Selections for matches scheduled after the first weekend in March will be announced on a four-week rolling basis starting from February 1 (e.g. a selection for the first weekend in April will be selected in the first weekend in March).
Selections for matches scheduled for the penultimate weekend of the regular season will be announced three weeks in advance.
Selections for matches scheduled for the final weekend of the regular season will be announced the week prior.
Where are games shown?
Sky Bet EFL fixtures are broadcast via either a Sky Sports channel or Sky Sports+, with select Carabao Cup and Championship fixtures also available on ITV.
Integrated into the Sky TV experience and the revamped Sky Sports mobile app, Sky Sports+ is available at no extra cost for subscribers of the full Sky Sports package. All televised fixtures are also available on the streaming service, NOW.
What coverage does the current broadcast deal provide?
In line with the uplift in matches, weekends when all divisions and the Premier League are scheduled to play*, 10 regular weekend games across the three divisions will be broadcast, including seven games at 12.30 pm on a Saturday.
This will include up to five Sky Bet Championship matches and up to five matches across Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two.
* Weekends in which 50% of the top two divisions (Premier League and Championship) are played at the same time are subject to Article 48, with a ban on the domestic broadcasting of fixtures between 2:45 pm and 5:15 pm on a traditional Saturday schedule.
