The 2018-19 season is upon us and the Championship kicks off at the start of August, a week prior to the Premier League season.
This year the deadline day has been brought forward across all English leagues to coincide with the first week of the top flight campaign, meaning there will be a few days after the first Championship matchday when clubs can still sign players.
Goal has all the information including the opening weekend fixtures and how to watch it.
When does the Championship start?
The new Championship campaign is set to begin on Friday, August 3 at 8pm BST, between Reading and Derby,
The rest of the fixtures take place across the weekend, the highlight of which will be Leeds United versus newly relegated Stoke Coty, and the final game of the matchday will be between Hull City and last year's Championship play-off final losers Aston Villa on Monday evening.
What Championship games will be played on opening day?
| Date | Fixture | Time (BST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3 | Reading v Derby County | 8pm | Madejski Stadium, Reading |
| Aug 4 | Birmingham City v Norwich City | 3pm | St Andrew's, Birmingham |
| Aug 4 | Brentford v Rotherham United | 3pm | Griffin Park, London |
| Aug 4 | Bristol City v Nottingham Forest | 3pm | Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol |
| Aug 4 | Ipswich Town v Blackburn Rovers | 3pm | Portman Road, Ipswich |
| Aug 4 | Millwall v Middlesbrough | 3pm | The Den, London |
| Aug 4 | Preston North End v Queens Park Rangers | 3pm | Deepdale, Preston |
| Aug 4 | West Brom v Bolton Wanderers | 3pm | Hawthorns, West Brom |
| Aug 4 | Wigan Athletic v Sheffield Wednesday | 3pm | DW Stadium, Wigan |
| Aug 4 | Sheffield United v Swansea City | 5:30pm | Bramall Lane, Sheffield |
| Aug 5 | Leeds United v Stoke City | 4:30pm | Elland Road, Leeds |
| Aug 6 | Hull City v Aston Villa | 7:45pm | KCOM Stadium, Hull |
The Championship begins with an opening match between Reading and Derby County on Friday August 3, at Madejski Stadium. Derby will be hoping to redeem themselves after finishing sixth last season but missed out on promotion after losing to play-off winners Fulham.
Newly relegated side West Brom take on Bolton Wanderers, while Leeds take on Stoke under new management of Gary Rowett after the departure of their manager at the end of last season.
Aston Villa will be looking to make a push for the Championship title after being runners-up during the play-off finals, but there's a huge financial cloud hanging over the club that threatens to derail their season.
How can I watch Championship games on TV?
Sky Sports have the rights to the Championship in the UK this season and will be broadcasting games on their Sky Sports Football channel. They can also be streamed via Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | UK online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Football | Sky Go |
If you live outside of the UK, you will be able to stream all of your club's non-televised matches live through the Football League's iFollow service.
A full list of every televised Championship game confirmed for the 2018-19 season until the end of October is below.
| Date | Fixture | Coverage start time (BST) |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 3 | Reading v Derby County | 7pm |
| Aug 4 | Sheffield United v Swansea City | 5:15pm |
| Aug 5 | Leeds United v Stoke City | 3:30pm |
| Aug 6 | Hull City v Aston Villa | 7pm |
| Aug 7 | Nottingham Forest v West Brom | 7pm |
| Aug 11 | Derby County v Leeds United | 5:15pm |
| Aug 17 | Birmingham City v Swansea City | 7:30pm |
| Aug 18 | Preston North End v Stoke City | 5:30pm |
| Aug 21 | Swansea City v Leeds United | 7:30pm |
| Aug 22 | Aston Villa v Brentford | 7:30pm |
| Aug 24 | Middlesbrough v West Brom | 7:30pm |
| Aug 25 | Nottingham Forest v Birmingham City | 5:15pm |
| Aug 31 | Leeds United v Middlesbrough | 7:45pm |
| Sept 1 | Millwall v Swansea City | 5:30pm |
| Sept 14 | Birmingham City v West Brom | 7:45pm |
| Sept 15 | Blackburn v Aston Villa | 5:30pm |
| Sept 18 | Stoke City v Swansea City | 8:00pm |
| Sept 19 | Queens Park Rangers v Millwall | 7:45pm |
| Sept 21 | Wigan Athletic v Bristol City | 7:45pm |
| Sept 22 | Queens Park Rangers v Norwich City | 5:30pm |
| Sept 28 | Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United | 7:45pm |
| Sept 29 | Rotherham United v Stoke City | 5:30pm |
| Oct 2 | Ipswich Town v Middlesbrough | 7:45pm |
| Oct 3 | Sheffield Wednesday v West Brom | 7:45pm |
| Oct 6 | Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers | 5:30pm |
| Oct 23 | Norwich City v Aston Villa | 7:45pm |
| Oct 24 | West Brom v Derby County | 8:00pm |