With the season now fast approaching, the EFL fixtures selected for TV coverage in all three divisions have been released. The season will kick-off with two Championship games on Friday 8 August, and matches will also be shown on the Saturday and Sunday of the opening weekend.
Landmark deal to show every EFL match on opening weekend
The EFL announced in June 2024 that every EFL game on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. This is the first time this has happened in broadcasting history, and the matches will be shown on a new channel called Sky Sports+.
As part of this deal, over 1,000 games across the three leagues will be shown live on TV, with every club in the EFL featured more than 20 times on Sky. TV announcements for games up to the end of September have been released before the beginning of the season, allowing supporters increased notice compared to previous seasons to help them plan further in advance. The EFL said:
“Within seven days of today’s EFL Fixture Release, all matches selected for broadcast for the period to the end of September will be announced, and before a ball is kicked of the 2024/25 season, all TV selections will be confirmed for the period up to the FA Cup third round in early January. This is a landmark commitment, providing fans and clubs up to five months’ notice, an increase from the five weeks' notice given across the majority of the 2023/24 season.”
EFL fixtures scheduled for TV in August
Sky Sports have released a full list of EFL games that will be shown on TV during August. The first games of the season take place on Friday 9 August between Blackburn and Derby, as well as Sheffield United’s trip to Preston. Two relegated teams will face each other in the concluding game of the opening weekend as Luton Town host Burnley.
The following weekend sees five Championship games broadcast on TV, including the Hatters’ trip to Portsmouth on Saturday 17 August. Meanwhile, three games will be shown in League One and two in League Two.
Nine of our @SkyBetChamp fixtures have been changed.
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) July 30, 2024
From Thursday 22 August to Sunday 25 August, there will be 10 games shown on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Football, including Sheffield Wednesday against Leeds and Swansea against Cardiff.
Finally, the last games that will take place in August involve Luton’s home match against QPR on 30 August and the East Lancashire derby a day later.
The EFL have also listed the upcoming live games in August on their website.