The EFL fixture list has been released, throwing up several compelling match-ups as three relegated Premier League clubs begin life back in the second tier.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will host Blackburn Rovers in their first Championship fixture since 2018, with the match scheduled for 8pm on Friday, 14 August at Molineux.
New Wolves head coach César Peixoto will oversee that opener, with Tony Mowbray returning to Blackburn for a second spell in charge having previously managed West Brom.
West Ham United travel to Turf Moor on the Sunday to face a managerless Burnley side in one of the standout fixtures of the opening weekend.
It will be West Ham’s first season outside the top flight in 14 years, while Burnley find themselves back in the Championship for the third time since 2023.
The London Stadium, West Ham’s home since 2016, will host Championship football for the first time the following Saturday when Nuno Espírito Santo’s side take on Charlton Athletic.
Beaten playoff finalists Middlesbrough open their campaign at the Riverside against Lincoln City, who return to the second tier for the first time in 65 years.
Other Saturday fixtures include a lunchtime Lancashire derby between Bolton and Preston, along with Sheffield United against Birmingham City in the later kick-off.
Southampton face Watford at Vicarage Road on the Sunday as they look to move on from last month’s playoff spying scandal, while promoted Cardiff host Wrexham in a derby on the Monday night.
In League One, Leicester City begin their campaign at Notts County at 12.30pm, just 10 years after being crowned Premier League champions, and Aaron Ramsey’s Oxford United host MK Dons in a lunchtime fixture.
Sheffield Wednesday play their first match under new owners Arise Capital Partners at Leyton Orient, while Bromley kick off their first-ever season in the third tier away at Barnsley.
League Two action gets underway on 15 August, with York City returning to the Football League after a 10-year absence by hosting Bristol Rovers, and relegated Rotherham playing their first fourth-tier game since 2013 at Cheltenham.