How to watch the EFL 2026/27 season opener live, including TV channel, streaming details and key fixtures from the opening weekend.
| Live Streaming | Dates | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| EFL 2026/27 Opening Weekend | 14–16 August 2026 | Sky Sports / Sky Sports+ |
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EFL 2026/27 Opening Weekend: TV and Streaming Details
Every game from the opening weekend of the EFL 2026/27 season will be shown live on Sky Sports and Sky Sports+, covering all three divisions.
Sky Sports+ is available at no extra cost to existing Sky Sports subscribers, across Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q and the Sky Sports app. Non-Sky customers can access the coverage via a NOW Sports Day or Month Membership, with no contract required.
All televised EFL fixtures are also available to stream on NOW.
The 2026/27 EFL season gets under way across the weekend of 14 to 16 August, with every game from the opening round of Championship, League One and League Two fixtures shown live on Sky Sports and Sky Sports+.
Wolves kick things off under the lights at Molineux on Friday 14 August, with Tony Mowbray’s Blackburn Rovers the visitors in what will be the first competitive game for both Cesar Peixoto and Mowbray as managers of their respective clubs.
Saturday 15 August brings a packed card of Championship action, headlined by Sheffield United v Birmingham at 5:30pm, with earlier kick offs including Norwich v West Brom and Portsmouth v QPR.
Lincoln, who won League One last season, begin their Championship campaign with a trip to Middlesbrough, a fixture that marks the first meeting between the two clubs since 1961.
The opening weekend’s showpiece fixture comes on Sunday 16 August, when Burnley host West Ham at Turf Moor at 4pm.
Over 1,000 of the EFL’s 1,891 games across the Championship, League One, League Two, Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy will be shown live on Sky Sports throughout the season, with every one of the 72 EFL clubs guaranteed to appear live on Sky more than 20 times in 2026/27.
The two Premier League relegation companions meet for the first time at Championship level, with the Hammers having beaten Burnley twice in the top flight last season and both sides now setting their sights on an immediate return.
Monday 17 August rounds off the opening weekend with a Welsh derby as Cardiff host Wrexham at 8pm.
It is one of the most anticipated fixtures on the entire EFL calendar after Wrexham’s much publicised rise through the non-league ranks to back-to-back promotions into the second tier.
In League One, former Premier League champions Leicester City begin their first season in the third tier since 2008/09 with a trip to Notts County, while in League Two there are also a host of opening day fixtures on Saturday 15 August, all broadcast live on Sky Sports+.
The season starts just weeks after the World Cup final, with the Carabao Cup first round taking place on the weekend of 7 to 9 August before the league season proper gets under way the following weekend.
