Burnley and West Ham to meet on first Championship weekend

Burnley and West Ham to meet on first Championship weekendImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Nuno Espirito Santo will look to lead West Ham to promotion to the Premier League in their first season in the EFL since 2011-12ByIan WoodcockBBC Sport EnglandPublished46 minutes agoRelegated Burnley and West Ham will meet on the opening weekend of the Championship season on Sunday, 16 August.The Clarets, whose bid to appoint Wales manager Craig Bellamy as boss looks to have fallen through, finished 19th in the top flight last season and will host the Hammers, who went down on the final day.Fellow relegated side Wolves will play the league’s curtain-raiser against Blackburn at Molineux on Friday, 14 August.Elsewhere, Southampton, who will start the season on minus four points after the Spygate scandal, travel to Watford on the opening weekend and promoted Cardiff welcome Welsh rivals Wrexham on Monday, 17 August.League One champions Lincoln start the season at beaten play-off finalists Middlesbrough on Saturday, 15 August and third tier play-off final winners Bolton begin the campaign with a home game against Preston on the same day.The Championship season starts a week after clubs play their first competitive fixture in the first round of the Carabao Cup and one week before the Premier League gets under way.Championship fixtures list: Dates & full schedule for every club in 2026-27