Championship fixtures release date and promotion odds as Coventry City hope

Coventry City’s Championship opponents for next season have been confirmed after defeat by Leeds United in the play-off final at Wembley.

All 24 clubs have now been confirmed after the Whites were beaten 1-0 by Southampton as Adam Armstrong’s goal sent the Saints back to the top flight at the first attempt since relegation a year ago.

Daniel Farke’s Leeds were immediately installed as favorites for promotion next season, followed by relegated duo Burnley and Luton Town. Sheffield United, who were relegated from the Premier League earlier this month, will start the season with minus-two points due to a financial breach but remain seventh-placed favorites for the title.

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Portsmouth, Derby County and Oxford United drop into the second tier of League One, while Mark Robins’ Coventry are priced at 14/1 for a chance of promotion to the Premier League.

The new fixture list – minus relegated Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United and promoted Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Saints – will be announced on Wednesday 26 June at 9am. Sky Sports will confirm the television selections for August and September in early July, with the rest of the selections due in January before the start of the season.

The campaign will begin on the weekend of August 10 and all of the opening matches in the EFL will be televised live. They can still kick off at 3pm that Saturday as the traditional lockout rule does not apply on a weekend where there is no scheduled Premier League action.

The new five-year deal with Sky, which will overhaul the football calendar, is worth £935m. That’s £895m in rights fees and £40m in what has been described as “additional marketing benefits”. It is £60m a season more than the previous deal and, the EFL claims, will mean Championship clubs are “46 per cent better off”.

There will be 46 rounds of league matches played across 33 weekends, nine midweek and four bank holidays in the Championship. Leagues One and Two will play 36 weekends and six midweek games.

The League Cup and Football League Trophy will continue with the same formats from this season. The Carabao Cup will be launched in mid-August. Meanwhile, the play-off final will take place on the 2025 May bank holiday weekend.

• Program launch day – Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 9:00 a.m
• Start date – weekend 10-11 August 2024
• Carabao Cup First Stage – 13-14 August 2024
• Carabao Cup Final – Sunday 16 March 2025
• End of season – Saturday 3 May 2025
• Last play-off weekend – 24-26 May 2025

Early Championship title odds 2024/25

Leeds 6/1; Burnley 13/2; Luton 10/1; Middlesbrough, Norwich, West Brom 12/1; Sheffield United, Coventry 14/1; Sunderland,, Portsmouth, Watford, Derby, Stoke, Hull 20/1; QPR, Sheffield Wednesday 25/1; Swansea, Bristol City, Millwall, Blackburn 28/1; Cardiff, Preston 40/1; Plymouth, Oxford 66/1.

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