Birmingham City & Wrexham take Spygate aim at Southampton after fixture release | OneFootball

Blues have been quick to remind their divisional counterparts about their previous misdemeanours

The fixtures for the 2026/27 EFL season have now been released, and hundreds of thousands of supporters throughout the country have already been reacting to the key dates which concern their team over the next 11 months.

Many believe that the upcoming Championship campaign has the potential to be the most exciting and high-profile 24-team lineup the second tier has ever seen.

West Ham United, Wolves and Burnley have been relegated from the Premier League, whilst Lincoln City, Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers were promoted from League One, only adding to the general intrigue which surrounds the division.

That also comes alongside a glut of established and just as ambitious sides who were not able to achieve promotion in the 2024/25 season, or others that are looking to progress up the table.

The upcoming season will also create plenty of focus following the expansion of the play-off structure from four teams to six teams, meaning those who finish between fifth and eighth will partake in one-off 'eliminator' style matches, before the customary semi-finals and the play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

Southampton supporters will not want to be reminded of the promotion picture after they were expelled from the play-off final and deducted four points for the new season, having admitted to multiple breaches of EFL regulation 127 under German head coach, Tonda Eckert, ahead of matches against Oxford United, Ipswich Town and their play-off semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough.

Unsurprisingly, many eyes have been cast on when the South Coast side and Kim Hellberg's side face off, but other divisional rivals have also been keen to poke fun at Saints.

Birmingham City and Wrexham take aim at Southampton as Championship fixtures released

Action Images

That comes in the form of Birmingham City and Wrexham, who themselves will be looking to mount sustained promotion bids under Chris Davies and Phil Parkinson respectively

This time 12 months ago, Blues returned to the second tier as League One champions, and kicked off the second tier season with a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town in front of Sky Sports cameras, before having to wait later in the campaign to face off against Southampton.

Ironically, Eckert's first game in full-time charge of Southampton was a 3-1 win over Blues at St Mary's last December, before a controversial 1-1 draw was played out at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park with Cameron Archer equalising Phil Neumann's opener.

Birmingham will begin the new season with an away trip to Sheffield United in a 5:30PM kick-off on Saturday, August 15th this time around, but have also poked fun at Southampton on social media.

A post from the club's official X account read: "One of the other key fixtures to keep an eye on...," followed with a graphic of the Birmingham and Southampton badges in a binocular-themed perspective, with the first of their two clashes taking place on Tuesday, September 1st.

Meanwhile, Wrexham, who begin their season with a Welsh derby against Cardiff City, also face Saints at the Stok Cae Ras 18 days later, and they have also aimed a dig.

With a calendar-themed graphic, a section reads "check training ground," on September 17th due to the 72-hour limit opposition clubs currently have to observe training sessions ahead of kick-off.

Last season, Southampton won both fixtures against the Red Dragons on the opening day and in a rearranged clash on April 7th with a 7-2 aggregate scoreline.

Southampton fans will already be preparing for spygate digs in 2026/27

Action Images

As a result of their misdemeanours, it still remains to be seen if Eckert will be the man in the St Mary's hotseat for the season despite being backed by owner, Dragan Solak.

That said, the nature of English football fans means that Saints fans will already be preparing to be the subject of endless digs and chants relating to Spygate throughout the 46-game season and potentially beyond.

Key players such as Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Shea Charles and Leo Scienza have already generated plenty of exit talk, but even with a four-point deduction, the expansion of the play-offs and quality of other players means Southampton will not be fazed when it comes to achieving their own objectives.

Blues and Wrexham, meanwhile, will also be targeting a top-eight finish after missing out, whilst continuing to receive plenty of attention through their high-profile American ownership groups.