EFL Championship 2026-27 season commencement

The 2026-27 EFL Championship season has commenced, involving 24 teams competing for promotion, playoff positions, or league survival.

Initial reports highlighted significant player transfers, such as Elijah Just joining Swansea City from Motherwell for a reported fee of approximately £5m following a notable World Cup performance for New Zealand, and Will Lankshear moving to Middlesbrough. Early analysis of fixture difficulty indicated that Watford faced the most challenging start, while Southampton held the highest individual power rating in the league at 85.5. Conversely, Stoke City was identified as the easiest team to play against on paper.

As the opening weekend arrived, the first major result saw Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers play to a 2-2 draw at Molineux Stadium. Wolves took an early lead through Marshall Munetsi in the 18th minute, but Blackburn responded with goals from Sean McLoughlin and Andri Gudjohnsen to take the lead. A last-minute penalty converted by Raúl Jiménez in stoppage time secured a point for the hosts, fulfilling manager César Peixoto’s earlier indication that the striker would be involved.

Other scheduled opening fixtures include Middlesbrough hosting newly-promoted Lincoln City at the Riverside Stadium, Sheffield United hosting Birmingham City at Bramall Lane, and Bristol City facing Millwall at Ashton Gate under new manager Michael Skubala. Additionally, Stoke City is preparing to host Swansea City, who enter the season under manager Vitor Matos.