LONDON, Sept. 9 — The story of the 2026/27 EFL Championship season begins with a promise of change. Widely considered one of the most competitive divisions in football, the league will expand its play-off format this campaign, offering six spots instead of the traditional four in the race for Premier League promotion. For the 24 clubs involved, the dream of reaching the top flight now feels more attainable.
The regular season kicks off on Friday, August 14, 2026, and runs through Saturday, May 1, 2027, with the play-off final set for Saturday, May 29, 2027. All times are UK time and subject to change.
At its heart, this extended format is designed to keep more clubs in contention for longer, raising the stakes across a 46-game schedule per club. This week marks a pivotal early test, with a triple gameweek in early September. On Tuesday, September 8, eight matches were slated, including Blackburn Rovers against Sheffield United and Wrexham versus Burnley, both at 7:45pm on Sky Sports+, plus Bolton Wanderers hosting West Ham United at 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, and Sky Sports Ultra HD.
Wednesday, September 9, sees four more fixtures, headlined by Derby County against West Brom at 7:45pm on Sky Sports+ and Charlton Athletic taking on QPR at 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event. The weekend slate offers little respite.
West Ham United travel to Wrexham on Friday, September 11, at 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event. Saturday, September 12, features Bolton Wanderers versus Cardiff City and West Brom against QPR, both at 12:30pm on Sky Sports+, while Derby County host Birmingham City at the same time on Sky Sports Football. Sheffield United face Wolves on Sunday, September 13, at 12pm on Sky Sports Football.
UK viewers will have extensive live coverage throughout the campaign, primarily via Sky Sports and Sky Sports+, with select marquee matches also broadcast on free-to-air channels ITV1, STV, ITVX, and STV Player. Among the standout broadcast picks are Millwall against West Ham United on Saturday, September 19, at 12:30pm, Southampton versus Portsmouth on Sunday, October 11, at 12pm, and the Burnley–Blackburn Rovers derby on Sunday, November 22, at 12pm—all carried across the ITV and Sky platforms.
Midweek fixtures are spread across Tuesday and Wednesday evenings throughout autumn 2026, including gameweeks on October 13-14, November 3-4, and November 24. For those involved, the expanded play-offs and the dense fixture list mean every point in these early months could prove decisive come the spring.
What to watch next: how the chasing pack navigates this congested September stretch, and whether the new six-team format reshapes the promotion race before the season truly settles in.
