Spygate reunion, derbies & the biggest mismatch ever?! 10 EFL games to get excited about

When the 2026/27 EFL fixtures drop at noon on Thursday, June 25, the league will feel the aftershocks of last season’s seismic shifts. From forgotten grudges reignited to derbies rediscovered, the calendar is packed with narratives that stretch beyond the pitch. Sky Sports will broadcast more than 20 live matches from each division, ensuring every fan can follow the drama as it unfolds. Below are the fixtures that promise to define the campaign before a ball is even kicked.

Forgotten feuds and fresh grudges

The Championship’s most combustible fixture returns when West Ham and Millwall step back into the cauldron after a 14-year absence. Their last competitive meeting came in 2012, yet the hostility never cooled. Millwall arrive at the London Stadium having gone unbeaten in seven league games, while West Ham will look to harness home advantage in a contest that has produced red cards and stoppage-time drama in the past. The rivalry’s return is less about nostalgia and more about proving which London side still commands the capital’s streets.

Across the second tier, Middlesbrough and Southampton resume a rivalry forged in controversy. Boro’s play-off exit and Southampton’s expulsion from the same race mean these two will meet again in the Championship, a tie that carries the weight of what might have been. The 250-mile journey between Teesside and the south coast will feel even longer if Kim Hellberg and Tonda Eckert remain in charge, given their combustible dugout exchanges last season.

Derbies that roar back to life

The Black Country derby resumes at Championship level for the first time since 2008, with Wolves and West Brom set to lock horns at Molineux. Their last league meeting ended 5-1 to the Baggies in 2012, but the fixture’s volatility is its defining trait. The FA Cup clash at The Hawthorns in 2024 reminded everyone how quickly tempers flare, and with both sides chasing promotion, the stakes have never been higher. This is football stripped to its raw, tribal core.

Lancashire will again hum with derby fever as Burnley return to the Championship, ensuring East Lancashire derbies with Blackburn and Preston are back on the menu. Burnley’s drop from the Premier League means these local clashes will carry even greater significance, with bragging rights and playoff places up for grabs in a division where every point counts.

Mismatches that aren’t what they seem

Not every fixture needs a storied past to matter. Some matches are compelling simply because of the gulf in resources or ambition. In League One, the clash between a newly relegated Premier League side and a club battling relegation could produce an uneven contest on paper but fireworks in reality. League Two offers similar intrigue, where a club with a parachute payment windfall faces a phoenix rising from financial ashes. These fixtures are where underdog narratives are written in real time, and where a single upset can ripple through an entire division.

The tactical chessboard will be as vital as the talent on display. In the Championship, sides may deploy high pressing to exploit the physical advantages of newly promoted teams still finding their feet. League One managers could opt for pragmatic systems to grind out results against better-funded rivals, while League Two’s smaller squads may rely on set-piece efficiency to nick results. The fixtures reward adaptability, and the managers who read the landscape fastest will seize the initiative.

When the fixtures land on June 25, the focus will shift from anticipation to preparation. West Ham versus Millwall isn’t just another league game; it’s a chance to reclaim bragging rights that have festered for over a decade. Middlesbrough against Southampton isn’t merely a fixture—it’s a reckoning for two clubs that came inches from greatness. And the Black Country derby isn’t just 90 minutes; it’s a cultural reset for a region that lives for football.

These aren’t just games. They’re storylines waiting to be told, and Sky Sports’ commitment to live coverage ensures every twist will be witnessed in full. Mark the date, set the reminders, and prepare for a season where history, geography, and ambition collide.