EFL fixtures: West Ham go to Burnley, Wolves host Blackburn in Championship openers

Relegated Wolves will launch the Championship season at home to Blackburn, while West Ham head to Burnley in one of the more eye-catching fixtures on the opening weekend.

The EFL fixture list was released on Thursday and Wolves will play their first Championship fixture since 2018 under the new head coach César Peixoto at Molineux at 8pm on Friday, 14 August with the former West Brom manager Tony Mowbray back for a second spell in charge of Blackburn.

The Hammers and managerless Burnley were relegated alongside Wolves and they face each other in their opening match at Turf Moor on the Sunday. West Ham will start a new season outside the top flight for the first time in 14 years, while Burnley are back in the second tier for the third time since 2023.

The London Stadium, West Ham’s home since 2016, will host Championship football for the first time the following Saturday when Nuno Espírito Santo’s side face capital rivals Charlton.

Southampton play their opening fixture on the Sunday and will bid to put last month’s play-off saga behind them after being expelled for spying against Watford at Vicarage Road.

Promoted Cardiff and Wrexham will bring the curtain down on the Championship’s opening fixtures in a derby clash in the Welsh capital on the Monday.

Beaten play-off finalists Middlesbrough begin their new season at The Riverside against Lincoln, back in the second tier for the first time in 65 years.

That is one of eight Saturday games, which include a lunchtime Lancashire derby at the Toughsheet Community Stadium between Bolton and Preston.

The opening-day fixtures in League One and Two all take place on 15 August.

Leicester, back in League One just 10 years after being crowned Premier League champions, start at Notts County in a 12.30pm kick-off and Sheffield Wednesday play their first match under new owners Arise Capital Partners at Leyton Orient.

Bromley will begin their first season in the third tier at Barnsley and relegated Oxford have a lunchtime start at home to newly-promoted MK Dons.

In League Two, York will play their first game back in the EFL after a 10-year absence at home against Bristol Rovers, with promoted Rochdale travelling to Newport for a 12.30pm kick-off.

Relegated Rotherham will play their first game back in the fourth tier since 2013 at Cheltenham.