[REVISION HISTORY]

EFL Championship 2026-27 season commencement

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-14 19:02 UTC → 2026-08-15 07:38 UTC · added ~~removed~~

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, ~~several key matchups were confirmed. Middlesbrough, a promotion favorite, is set~~ the first major result saw Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers play to ~~host newly-promoted Lincoln City~~ a 2-2 draw at ~~the Riverside~~ 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 ~~Stoke City~~ Middlesbrough hosting ~~Swansea City—who enter~~ newly-promoted Lincoln City at the ~~season under manager Vitor Matos—and~~ Riverside Stadium, Sheffield United hosting Birmingham City at Bramall ~~Lane. Additional opening fixtures include~~ Lane, and Bristol City facing Millwall at Ashton Gate under new manager Michael ~~Skubala, and Wolverhampton starting their campaign against Blackburn Rovers. Regarding the latter, manager César Peixoto has indicated that Mexican striker Raúl Jiménez~~ Skubala. Additionally, Stoke City is ~~expected~~ preparing to ~~begin on~~ host Swansea City, who enter the ~~bench.~~ season under manager Vitor Matos.

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