Newly relegated Norwich City face Cardiff away on the opening weekend of a 2022-23 Championship season that will include a mid-season break for the World Cup in Qatar.
There will be no Championship games after the weekend of 12-13 November until 10 December because of the World Cup.
The first fixture takes place on Friday, 29 July when Huddersfield host Burnley.
Watford host Sheffield United, with newly-promoted Rotherham hosting Swansea.
Embed from Getty ImagesSunderland are back in the Championship for the first time since 2016-17 and play on Sunday, 31 July at home to Coventry.
The World Cup, which will feature both England and Wales, starts on 21 November. The final is on 18 December, eight days after the Championship season resumes.
Despite the Premier League having special arrangements to allow more time between games across the three festive match rounds, the Championship doesn’t.
After fixtures on 26 December, the following match round will only be played on December 29. The New Year match round will only be played on January 1.
Embed from Getty Images| Friday, 29 July |
| Huddersfield v Burnley (20:00 BST) |
| Saturday, 30 July |
| Blackburn v QPR |
| Blackpool v Reading |
| Cardiff v Norwich |
| Hull v Bristol City |
| Luton v Birmingham |
| Millwall v Stoke |
| Rotherham v Swansea |
| Wigan v Preston |
| Middlesbrough v West Brom (17:30) |
| Sunday, 31 July |
| Sunderland v Coventry (12:00) |
| Monday, 1 August |
| Watford v Sheffield United (20:00) |
The 2022-23 season has been altered to support the 2022 World Cup, which takes place in the middle of the domestic calendar.
It starts a week earlier than usual – 84 days after the final day of the 2021-22 campaign – but finishes at the same week as usual on 6 May.
Fifa, world football’s governing body, has already stated that players must be released on 14 November for the World Cup. It means the mid-season break will last four weeks.
There will be 21 matchdays before Qatar – one in July, six in August, four in September, seven in October, and three in November.
Embed from Getty Images| Birmingham v Sunderland |
| Bristol City v Watford |
| Burnley v Blackburn |
| Cardiff v Sheffield United |
| Coventry v QPR |
| Huddersfield v Swansea |
| Hull v Reading |
| Luton v Rotherham |
| Norwich v Middlesbrough |
| Preston v Millwall |
| West Brom v Stoke |
| Wigan v Blackpool |
Burnley, relegated on the final-day of last season after Leeds beat Brentford, are one of the favourites to go staright back up after appointing Vincent Kompany from RSC Anderlecht.
Kompany, 36, is set to make his managerial debut for the Clarets at Huddersfield before they host Luton and then travel to also relegated Watford.
Norwich, who finished 20th in the Premier League in 2021-22, are hosted by Burnley on 10 September, with the return fixture at Carrow Road on 4 February.
After opening the season at the Stadium of Light to Coventry, Sunderland travel to Bristol before hosting QPR.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe first East Lancashire derby of the season is on 12 November at Turf Moor, with Blackburn hosting their neighbours on 18 March.
Swansea host the first South Wales derby of the season on 22 October with the return at Cardiff on 1 April.
The first M1 derby of 2022-23 is at Watford on 22 October with Luton hosting the Hornets also on 1 April.
So who do you think will win the Championship this season? Will Norwich City make it three titles in a row? Or will we see someone else win the coveted trophy? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!
