Five months’ notice for TV picks. That’s the biggest shift in English lower-league broadcasting in years, and it lands just in time for the 2025/26 season. The English Football League has confirmed its televised matches up to the end of September 2025, giving fans, clubs, and police forces something they’ve begged for: time to plan.
What’s been confirmed
The EFL’s new approach means supporters now get up to five months of visibility on the Sky Bet Championship TV slate, a major jump from the old five-week notice period. The first wave of picks covers August and September and comes with a promise: all 72 EFL clubs (Championship, League One, League Two) will feature at least twice in this opening block.
Charlton Athletic are among the early headliners. The Addicks have two broadcast dates locked in: a trip to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, August 30 (12:30pm), and a fiery home derby with Millwall on Saturday, September 13 (12:30pm). Early kickoffs for derby days are no accident; they’re standard for safety and travel, and now everyone can plan around them well in advance.
Beyond Charlton, the schedule carries a string of eye-catching fixtures. Leicester City host Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, August 10 (16:30), there’s a Midlands clash with Leicester City versus Birmingham City on Friday, August 29 (20:00), and the South Coast turns up the volume on Saturday, September 14 (12:00) when Southampton meet Portsmouth. These are the types of games that set the tone for a season.
Every opening weekend match across the EFL will be live on Sky Sports, as will every Carabao Cup and Vertu Trophy tie. That’s a lot of football, and it’s designed to give every club visibility right out of the gate. Viewers can watch through Sky Sports channels and the Sky Sports+ streaming service, with access via Sky’s digital platforms.
For those marking calendars, here are the standout televised dates already named:
- QPR vs Charlton Athletic – Saturday, August 30, 12:30pm
- Charlton Athletic vs Millwall – Saturday, September 13, 12:30pm
- Leicester City vs Sheffield Wednesday – Sunday, August 10, 16:30
- Leicester City vs Birmingham City – Friday, August 29, 20:00
- Southampton vs Portsmouth – Saturday, September 14, 12:00
The season itself started early. Birmingham City opened the Championship on August 8 against Ipswich Town. League One kicked off even earlier, with Luton Town facing AFC Wimbledon on August 1. It’s a staggered start, but with wall-to-wall coverage during those opening weekends, nobody’s missing out.
There’s also a free-to-air element. ITV will carry 20 matches during 2025/26: 10 Carabao Cup ties and 10 EFL picks. It’s part of an expanded partnership that keeps marquee ties accessible beyond the paywall and gives the cups extra spotlight.
Why the longer notice matters
Five months might sound like a small administrative tweak. It isn’t. For match-going fans, this is the difference between a £25 train fare and a £120 one. It’s the difference between getting a kid to a midday kickoff without chaos and scrambling for childcare because a game was moved with little warning. Away followings, especially, benefit from being able to sort travel and accommodation without guesswork.
Clubs gain, too. Security planning becomes smoother. Hospitality teams can price and allocate packages with more certainty. Community events tied to matchdays can run without the constant fear of a late switch to Friday night or Sunday lunchtime. Policing plans—often negotiated weeks in advance—can be agreed with fewer last-minute changes.
Broadcasters also win. With the calendar set early, Sky can market marquee derbies properly, build programming around them, and lean into regional narratives that fuel audience peaks. It’s the same logic behind making sure all opening weekend fixtures are live: maximum attention right when excitement is highest.
This season’s TV plan also reflects how fans actually watch. Sky Sports+ opens up streaming access alongside linear channels, which helps those who are out and about on matchdays or juggling commitments. It’s where midweek slates can sit comfortably, and where cup ties—now all covered—can find an audience beyond the traditional slots.
There are still realities to live football scheduling. Saturday 3pm remains a protected slot for in-person attendance in England, which is why many televised Championship games sit in windows like Friday 8pm, Saturday 12:30pm, Sunday 12pm/3pm, and midweek evenings. Cup rounds come with their own rhythms. But the direction of travel is clear: clearer notice, broader coverage, fewer surprises.
Back to Charlton for a moment, because those picks matter locally. A televised trip to QPR offers a proper London measuring stick early in the season. Then there’s Millwall at The Valley—one of the most charged fixtures on the calendar. A midday kickoff helps on the operations side; on the pitch, it’s as high-stakes as it gets in September. For both sets of supporters, the advance TV notice means time to arrange tickets, meet-ups, and travel without the usual scramble.
Elsewhere, Leicester’s double billing hints at expectations around their campaign and the pull of big away followings like Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City. Southampton vs Portsmouth barely needs selling; it’s one of those games that spikes interest across the country, not just on the South Coast. Giving it a lunchtime slot helps with safety planning and sets it up as a national TV event.
For the EFL, insisting that every club appears at least twice in August and September is symbolic. It says the early story of the season is collective, not just a handful of “big” teams. Smaller clubs get daylight when casual viewers are most curious. New signings, new managers, promoted sides—this is when first impressions stick.
What should fans do now? If you’re match-going, lock in travel for televised fixtures that affect you. Expect further TV picks to roll out in similar long blocks as the season moves on. If you’re watching from home, check which Sky Sports packages include the channels you want and how to access Sky Sports+ on your devices. For free-to-air viewers, keep an eye on ITV’s selections, especially around the Carabao Cup’s early rounds.
The nuts and bolts are simple: more notice, more coverage, better planning. The EFL’s calendar through September 2025 lays down a blueprint for how this season is going to feel—busy, visible, and a bit kinder to the people who follow their clubs up and down the country.
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