Birmingham City and Ipswich Town kick off the 2025/26 Championship campaign with a curtain-raiser that could set the tone for the months ahead, as both clubs step back into the second tier with something to prove.
The Blues return with wind in their sails after a record-smashing League One season in 2024/25, racking up an eye-popping 111 points—the highest tally in EFL history. Under Chris Davies, they’re already being touted as one of the promotion frontrunners, with oddsmakers giving them a 21/10 shot before a ball is even kicked.
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On the other side, Ipswich arrive fresh from a year in the Premier League that didn’t quite go to plan. Kieran McKenna’s men have their eyes fixed firmly on bouncing right back up, and they know a strong opening day at St. Andrew’s could be the first brick in that road back to the top flight.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
Birmingham City vs. Ipswich Town live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this EFL Championship match in the UK:
TV channel: Sky Sports Football
Live stream: Sky Go UK, NOW, Sky Go Extra
This game is available for live TV broadcast on Sky Sports Football. Streaming options are available on Sky Go UK, NOW and Sky Go Extra.
What time does Birmingham City vs. Ipswich Town kick off?
This EFL Championship clash takes place at the St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in Birmingham, England and kicks off on Friday, August 8 at 8:00 p.m. BST local time.
Birmingham City vs. Ipswich Town lineups, team news
Birmingham will be without the sidelined Scott Wright, while Fujimoto is still on the comeback trail as he nurses a knee injury back to health.
From the summer’s fresh faces, Osayi-Samuel, Neumann, Doyle, and Gray look like the frontrunners to get the early call in Chris Davies’ first starting XI of the new campaign.
Up top, the battle for the number nine shirt could go right down to the wire, but after bagging 19 goals in League One last term, Jay Stansfield might just edge out Furuhashi when the teams are named.
Birmingham City predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Allsop (GK) — Osayi-Samuel, Klarer, Neumann, Cochrane — Iwata, Paik, Doyle — Gray, Anderson, Stansfield.
For the visitors, left-back Conor Townsend is set for a lengthy spell in the treatment room after suffering an ACL injury during a recent friendly against Auxerre.
Harry Clarke and Wes Burns are also ruled out for the curtain-raiser, while Leif Davis and Jaden Philogene are in a race against the clock to prove they’re match-ready before Friday night’s clash.
The Tractor Boys may have won the tug-of-war with Birmingham for Ajax forward Chuba Akpom, but whether the paperwork crosses the line in time for him to make his debut at St. Andrew’s remains up in the air.
Ipswich Town predicted XI (4-2-3-1 right to left): Palmer (GK) — Johnson, O'Shea, Greaves, Young — Matusiwa, Taylor — Philogene, Szmodics, Clarke — Hirst
EFL Championship fixture schedule this week
Friday, August 8
- Birmingham City vs. Ipswich Town (8 p.m. BST)
Saturday, August 9
- Charlton Athletic vs. Watford (12:30 p.m. BST)
- Coventry City vs. Hull City (12:30 p.m. BST)
- Southampton vs. Wrexham (12:30 p.m. BST)
- Middlesbrough vs. Swansea City (3 p.m. BST)
- Norwich City vs. Millwall (3 p.m. BST)
- Oxford United vs. Portsmouth (3 p.m. BST)
- Queens Park Rangers vs. Preston North End (3 p.m. BST)
- Stoke City vs. Derby County (3 p.m. BST)
- West Bromwich Albion vs. Blackburn Rovers (3 p.m. BST)
- Sheffield United vs. Bristol City (5:30 p.m. BST)
Sunday, August 10
- Leicester City vs. Sheffield Wednesday (4:30 p.m. BST)