After surprise relegation to League One in 2023–24, Birmingham City waltzed back into the Championship last season at the first time of asking.
The Blues spent big to ensure their stint in the third tier was brief, with some much-needed investment from NFL legend Tom Brady helping them on their way. They eviscerated the competition as they secured an astonishing 111 points and the League One title at a canter.
However, the winning habit can swiftly be forgotten in the Championship, something Birmingham know all too well. Things are about to get significantly more difficult for the Midlands side.
As if the jump to the Championship isn’t hard enough already, the Blues have been handed a seriously challenging early fixture list. Here are their first five outings.
Birmingham’s First Five 2025–26 Championship Fixtures
Birmingham have a few winnable fixtures in their early run but their opening clash will be an almighty battle. Kicking off the entire Championship season on Friday, August 8, they will lock horns with Ipswich Town, who have recently been relegated from the Premier League. The Tractor Boys are likely to retain a healthy chunk of their squad for 2025–26 as they seek an automatic return to the top flight.
A trip north to Blackburn Rovers will pose another sizeable hurdle for the Blues. Once a staple Premier League fixture in the noughties, these two have been confined to the lower divisions over the past decade. However, Rovers are looking to escape soon, finishing just two points outside the play-off positions last season.
Oxford United at St Andrew’s is a slightly simpler fixture for Chris Davies and his players, with the U’s finishing just 17th and four points above the drop last season. This will be a fixture that Birmingham will identify as a must-win early in the campaign.
The same can’t be said of Birmingham’s fourth outing of 2025–26 when they travel to Leicester City. While the Foxes are in turmoil on and off the pitch after a bruising season in the Premier League last year, they will still be strong favourites for a duel with the newly-promoted Blues. The King Power Stadium should be a trickier venue to visit next season than it was last.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Birmingham’s First 5 Games in 2025–26 Championship.
