Football fans the length and breadth of England and Wales can now begin to put their plans together following the EFL’s release of the 2025/26 fixtures.
Opening day opponents, finding out where you’re heading for Boxing Day and, most importantly, when you’re playing them lot down the road are where eyes tend to be drawn first.
Here at FourFourTwo, we’ve pulled out five of the most interesting fixtures we’ll be keeping an eye on…
Southampton v Wrexham (Saturday 9 August, 12:30 BST)
Having opened the season the night before with Birmingham City v Ipswich Town, our next instalment of Championship action comes with plenty of intrigue.
Securing back-to-back-to-back promotions under Phil Parkinson, thanks in no small part to the investment of actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, everyone will be eager to see how they fare.
There are few sterner tests to open their Championship account than playing Southampton, relegated from the Premier League last season, on the first Saturday of the season. It really is sink or swim time.
The promoted sides with heavy American followings, each playing sides that were in the Premier League last year? It’s almost too good to be true for Sky Sports.
Charlton Athletic v Millwall (Saturday 13 September, 15:00 BST)
The only thing sweeter than a local derby is one that has been off the menu for some time.
Charlton Athletic and Millwall last met in the midst of the pandemic, meaning the last time fans were able to attend a meeting between these two sides was all the way back in November 2019.
The Addicks have spent the last five seasons in League One, with Millwall maintaining their Championship berth, but the former’s promotion via the play-offs last season sees them face each other once more.
And the Lions might fancy their chances; you have to go all the way back to 1996 for the last time Charlton defeated them.
Birmingham City v Wrexham (Saturday 11 April, 15:00 BST)
It’s the one traditionalists will hate. Vocal American owners, millions spent on players, and no doubt wall-to-wall coverage from broadcasters and news outlets alike.
Oh, and that’s before mentioning the fact that the Blues’ US owners asked to play this fixture on American soil last season, when both clubs were in League One.
We get it, but we’ll also be watching it.
Wrexham’s journey from non-league to the Championship is a noteworthy story, as is the hefty spending of Birmingham’s owners, and they’ll no doubt be a sub-plot of who can bring the most A-listers to St Andrew’s.
There will also be a 90-minute football match played amid all the many headline-grabbing narratives, and with this one coming as part of the final run-in, there could be plenty on the line for either side, depending on how the rest of their seasons have panned out.
Stockport County v Bolton (Sunday 3 August, 12:00 BST)
Excitement and drama are not exclusive to the second tier; the opening weekend of League One is enough to prove that.
Stockport County welcome Bolton Wanderers in a midday Sunday kick-off that suits practically no one, other than those pesky camera wielders.
But they are bringing us a dose of prime football action, with plenty of bite to it.
There are obvious geographical reasons for there being a bit of needle between these two Greater Manchester sides, but the real battle started in 2021, when the Hatters signed then-Bolton captain Antoni Sarcevic with the Trotters two divisions higher at the time.
Dave Challinor’s men then rubbed further salt in the wound by knocking Bolton out of the FA Cup that year, climbing to League One themselves over the next few years, and handing Wanderers 5-0 drubbing at Edgeley Park last term.
Shrewsbury Town v Gillingham (Saturday 29 November, 15:00 BST)
Gillingham won’t be an opponent Shrewsbury fans are accustomed to looking out on fixture release day, but that certainly will have been the case this summer.
Salop appointed EFL regular Gareth Ainsworth as their manager in November 2024, when they were bottom of the third tier, in the hope he could spark a revival.
Spoiler alert: that didn’t happen. Shrewsbury were relegated, but not with Ainsworth in the dugout.
No, after signing a contract to manage the Shrews in November, Ainsworth was gone again by March, dropping down a division to take on the vacancy at Gillingham.
On account of Shrewsbury’s relegation, and Gillingham’s 17th-placed finish in League Two, the pair will meet again in the fourth tier. Don’t expect the warmest of receptions for Ainsworth at The Croud Meadow.
