Promoted Wrexham to start season at Southampton

Southampton will host Wrexham’s first second-tier game for 43 years on Saturday, August 9; the day after Birmingham City kick off the championship season against Ipswich Town.

On Sunday, August 10, Leicester City’s return to second place will take them to Sheffield Wednesday.

Charlton Athletic, the reigning champions of League One’s play-off final, face a Watford side that Paulo Pezzolano is currently running.

Sheffield United kick off their campaign against Bristol City, who they defeated in the championship play-off final against Sunderland.

Leicester won the title and promotion to the Premier League for the first time only 14 months prior.

However, they will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their Premier League title triumph with a final-day trip to Blackburn on May 2, 2026 as a result of their relegation after only one season back in the top flight.

In one of their ten games on Saturday, August 9, Southampton, who have previously moved up and down the two divisions alongside Leicester, will face Hollywood-owned Wrexham.

Friday, August 8th,

Ipswich Town versus Birmingham City (20:00)

Friday, August 9th,

Watford vs. Charlton Athletic (12:30)

Hull City vs. Coventry City (12:30)

Southampton v Wrexham (12: 30)

Swansea City vs. Middlesbrough (15:00)

Norwich City v Millwall (15: 00)

Portsmouth vs. Oxford United (15:00)

Preston North End vs. Queens Park Rangers (15:00)

Derby County versus Stoke City (15:00)

West Bromwich Albion vs. Rovers from Blackburn (15:00)

30 BST between Bristol City and Sheffield United.

Sunday, August 10th,

Wednesday, Leicester City vs. Sheffield (16: 30).

In the days ahead, Leicester City will welcome players back for pre-season training, but it is still unclear who will take charge of the Foxes’ opening game against the Owls.

Since Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed, Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy has managed to hold onto his position for more than nine weeks.

In the final few weeks of the campaign, there was a lot of speculation about his future, but it hasn’t stopped since the season has ended.

Off-field concerns about a potential points penalty for the club have gotten worse as well as uncertainty about the decorated former former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Netherlands striker’s position.

Leicester were charged in May with allegedly breaking the EFL’s financial regulations after capturing the Championship title and promotion.

Since Enzo Maresca took over the dugout in the 2023- to 2024 season, the club will have a third different permanent manager in place if Van Nistelrooy is replaced.

The only promotion-winning manager from that year to have lived up to the Premier League campaign is Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna.

Birmingham City’s record-breaking campaign led to their immediate return to the Championship, collecting an EFL-record 111 points as League One title holders.

Tom Wagner, the son of former Blues chairman, has stated in recent interviews that the ultimate goal of a club, which has undergone a transformation under the leadership of Tom Brady, seven-time Super Bowl champion, is to reach the Premier League next year.

Their rivalry with Wrexham, which is owned by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will also receive a lot of attention once more thanks to the profile boost the NFL legend has provided them.

The Welsh club finished last year’s League One runners-up, but they set a new record by becoming the first team in the top five divisions to earn three straight promotions.

Reynolds and McElhenney, who have helped the club become a global docuseries hit, have been working hard since the beginning to restore Wrexham to its Premier League status.

Over the weekend of 13 and 14 September, St Mary’s will host Southampton and Portsmouth’s first league game in more than 13 years.

When the two sides last met in the 2011-2012 Championship campaign, both South Coast derbies ended in draws, and Saints last defeated Pompey 4-0 at Fratton Park in the EFL Cup in 2019.

The East Anglian derby, also known as the Old Farm derby, will take place at Portman Road in early October and mid-April at Carrow Road as part of Ipswich’s return to the Championship.

And Derby County will face East Midlands rival Leicester City in the league for the first time in 11 years when they meet at Pride Park in early December, before returning to the King Power Stadium three weeks later, avoiding relegation on the final day of last term.