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Wrexham’s first second-tier match for 43 years will be at Southampton on Saturday, 9 August – a day after Birmingham City open the Championship season by hosting Ipswich Town.

Leicester City’s return to the second tier begins at home against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, 10 August.

League One play-off final winners Charlton Athletic mark their return to the Championship after a five-year absence with a home game against a Watford side now managed by Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano.

Sheffield United, who were beaten by Sunderland in the Championship play-off final, start the campaign against the Bristol City side they beat in the semi-finals.

It was only 14 months ago that Leicester claimed the Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League at their first attempt.

But relegation after just one season back in the top flight means they will mark the 10-year anniversary of their Premier League title triumph with a final-day trip to Blackburn on 2 May, 2026.

Southampton, who have gone up and down the two divisions alongside Leicester in the past three seasons, will welcome Hollywood-owned Wrexham to St Mary’s in one of 10 fixtures on Saturday, 9 August.

Friday, 8 August

Birmingham City v Ipswich Town (20:00)

Saturday, 9 August

Charlton Athletic v Watford (12:30)

Coventry City v Hull City (12:30)

Southampton v Wrexham (12:30)

Middlesbrough v Swansea City (15:00)

Norwich City v Millwall (15:00)

Oxford United v Portsmouth (15:00)

Queens Park Rangers v Preston North End (15:00)

Stoke City v Derby County (15:00)

West Bromwich Albion v Blackburn Rovers (15:00)

Sheffield United v Bristol City 17:30 BST

Sunday, 10 August

Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday (16:30)

Leicester City will be welcoming players back for pre-season in the coming days, but who will be in charge of the Foxes for their opening fixture against the Owls remains uncertain.

Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy has managed to hold on to his job for more than nine weeks since Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

There was intense speculation about his future in the final weeks of the campaign, and that has not gone away since the season ended.

Uncertainty about the decorated former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Netherlands striker’s position has dragged on alongside off-field concerns about a potential points penalty for the club.

Leicester were charged in May for allegedly breaching the EFL’s financial rules when they won the Championship title and promotion just over a year ago.

If Van Nistelrooy is replaced, it means the club will have a third different permanent manager in the dugout since Enzo Maresca took them up in that 2023-24 season.

Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna is the only promotion-winning boss from that season to have survived the Premier League campaign.

A record-breaking campaign by Birmingham City saw them make an immediate return to the Championship by amassing an EFL record 111 points as League One title winners.

Blues chairman Tom Wagner has previously said that going on to reach the Premier League next season “is certainly the goal” of a club that has been transformed by an ownership group that includes seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

The profile boost the NFL legend has given them also means their rivalry with Wrexham, owned by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will draw huge attention once again.

The Welsh club finished runners-up to Blues in League One last season, but set a record of their own as they became the first team in the top five divisions of English football to earn three consecutive promotions.

Getting Wrexham to the Premier League has been the aim from the outset for Reynolds and McElhenney, who have made the club’s meteoric rise of recent years into a global docuseries hit.

The first league meeting between Southampton and Portsmouth for more than 13 years will take place at St Mary’s over the weekend of 13/14 September.

Both South Coast derbies ended in draws when the two sides last played during the 2011-12 Championship campaign and the most recent meeting between them saw Saints thump Pompey 4-0 at Fratton Park in the EFL Cup in 2019.

Meanwhile, Ipswich’s return to the Championship means the East Anglian derby – also known as the Old Farm derby – against Norwich City is back on the schedule at Portman Road in early October and mid-April at Carrow Road.

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

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.

“I said to myself at the start of the year, ‘what if I never get to drive a Formula 1 car?’.”

Alex Dunne didn’t need to worry.

After stepping into Formula 2 this year – the category below F1 – the 19-year-old McLaren development driver has impressed with his speed and leads the standings with two victories to his name.

That form led to a first Formula 1 outing in a private event at Zandvoort in the Netherlands in May.

And now he will become the first Irish driver to participate on a Formula 1 weekend in 22 years when he deputises for Lando Norris in the opening practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix.

“When me and my dad got told we would be able to drive a F1 car this year, my dad got a little bit emotional and I laughed at him,” joked Dunne.

“Nah, I got emotional as well. It’s a big thing.

Driving a Formula 1 car at any time is a big deal, and doing it on a Grand Prix weekend in a championship-leading car is a huge opportunity.

McLaren says it is not only a reward for his form, but a development opportunity for the teenager.

Dunne has a bigger picture to focus on too. When he pulls back into the garage, he will swap the McLaren MCL39 for his Formula 2 car and it’s back to the day job as he tries to win the championship.

He currently leads the standings after six rounds, largely thanks two victories in Bahrain and Imola, a pole position in Monaco and an impressive recovery drive from 19th to second in Barcelona.

Dunne may only be 19, but he recognised the bigger picture in front of him.

“It’s important not to focus too much on F1, it’s important to focus on F2 and trying to do as well as I can.

“If I get too wrapped up in it I can quickly forget about what I need to do this year.

“The whole point of focusing on F2 and making sure I have good results this year, is so hopefully then at the end of the year there is an opportunity to be a F1 driver.

Wednesday, 7 May is a day that Dunne will never forget as he stepped into a Formula 1 car for the first time at Zandvoort.

After watching the team’s regular drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who are first and second in the F1 standings, it was Dunne’s turn to hit the circuit.

“To have that opportunity was pretty amazing.

“McLaren have made it pretty clear that they believe in me to do well and they have been really pushing me and supporting me.

“I got to watch Lando and Oscar drive and speak to them in detail to see what I could learn.

“There’s a lot to learn from both of them and I can take that forward with me.”

Dunne accepts “there’s no guarantee I’ll make it to F1” despite his upwards career trajectory.

“It was slightly easier to adapt to than I expected. The car was unbelievable. The grip, the brakes, everything,” Dunne said on his Zandvoort experience.

“Even in a straight line it feels fast. When you are racing in F2 or F3, it doesn’t necessarily feel that quick when you put your foot down.

“But when I put my foot down in the F1 car, I was like ‘wow, this is pretty quick’.

“Even the G-forces you pull through the corners, at the end of the day my neck was a little bit sore.

Dunne’s racing CV is impressive. He dominated the British F4 championship in 2022 and in the same year he finished second in Italian F4, finishing second to Mercedes F1 driver Kimi Antonelli.

He then finished second in the British GB3 championship in his rookie year, and impressed on his debut at the Macau Grand Prix before he stepped up to the F1 support series in 2024 with MP Motorsport in Formula 3.

He claimed two podiums, including one at the final round in Monza, but was 14th in the standings in an up-and-down campaign.

“It’s nice this year to be back to where I think I should be. I think it proves what was happening last year wasn’t because of me.”

At only the second round in Bahrain, Dunne dominated the feature race to become the first Irish driver to win in Formula 2. It was normal service resumed.

“I always expected it to be good, I maybe didn’t expect it to be this good.

“It was over the last couple of laps where it was like, ‘this is actually going to happen pretty early’.

“When I pulled in at the end of the race and seen the team, my dad, Zak Brown [McLaren CEO] and all of McLaren standing there, it was very nice.

Another impressive victory followed at Imola, as Dunne carved his way through the order to win his second race of the year.

At the following round, Dunne set a stunning lap to take pole position around the famous streets of Monaco. However, he was penalised for a first-lap collision and handed a 10-place grid penalty for the next race in Barcelona.

Starting in 19th, Dunne capitalised on a late pit stop for fresh tyres to finish second and regain the championship lead he lost in Monaco.

In Dunne’s words, that type of recovery shows the “mental resilience” required to fight for the title – both as a driver and his Rodin Motorsport team.

“That’s something I can be proud of, each time we have had something difficult or go wrong, we have come back and done something pretty special.

“The fact we are able to forget about the little things that have happened and bounce back straight away is a very good quality to have.”

Dunne acknowledges he is in a good place in both his career and the Formula 2 standings, “but it’s important that it’s after 14 rounds and not six”.

“It’s important to stay consistent, not try and do anything crazy, have good qualifying and score good points in the sprint race and the feature.

“If I keep doing what I’m doing, and keep chipping away at it, then hopefully the opportunities will come.”