The 5 best Championship derbies ranked as EFL fixtures released | OneFootball

The fixtures for the Football League have arrived and the Championship is serving up plenty of tasty derbies this season.

Burnley and Wolves’ relegation coupled with Cardiff’s promotion means there is a pleasing high number of derbies for EFL fans to look forward to this season.

And with the fixtures now confirmed, here are the fiercest derbies in the division ranked:

5. Swansea v Cardiff

Newly promoted Cardiff may start their Championship season with the visit of Wrexham but the Welsh side they really care about is Swansea.

The South Wales derby really came to life post World War II as 60,855 people packed in to watch the 1949 clash at Cardiff. Since then, it is has been a fiery affair.

Swansea’s promotion to the Premier League meant an absence of five years between 2014 and 2019 but the recent record has been satisfyingly split.

Cardiff won 3-0 in January 2025 with Swansea’s last win coming in March 2024. Both sides will fancy their chances when they meet this time around.

Swansea v Cardiff – 28/29 November Cardiff v Swansea – 13/14 March

4. Blackburn v Burnley

The Cotton Mills derby was first competed in 1888 and is one of English football’s oldest rivalries.

The pair hate each other due to their close proximity and competition in that industry but the rivalry has been marked down a few degrees given how one-sided it has been of late.

Burnley have not lost since 2010 and have won seven of the last eight fixtures. Burnley’s return means the two meet again and Rovers will again be underdogs.

Burnley v Blackburn – 21/22 November  Blackburn v Burnley – 6/7 February

3. Southampton v Portsmouth

The South Coast Derby takes its origins from maritime competition between the two port cities.

“Scummers” as Pompey fans call Saints and “Skates” as Saints fans say in reply bring plenty of atmosphere and while the South Coast derby remains fierce, the issue with it is how little the two have played each other.

When Southampton are doing well, Portsmouth are doing poorly. When Portsmouth are doing well, Southampton are doing poorly.

That has been the pattern since the 1930s and so fans have been starved of the oxygen needed for a rivalry fire to sustain.

Last season saw their first league match since 2012 and while the fans were up for it, the games were largely forgettable and both ended in draws.

Spygate has given Portsmouth fans another arrow in their quiver and hopefully the games this time round will live up to the billing.

Southampton v Portsmouth – 10/11 October Portsmouth v Southampton – 27/28 February

2. West Brom v Wolves

The Black Country can often be easily forgotten by the rest of the nation but their rivalries are as fierce as any.

West Brom and Wolves fans simply hate each other. Their last fixture kicked off at 11:45am and was still halted after 40 minutes due to crowd trouble.

That FA Cup match was their first meeting in over a decade and Albion fans are relishing being in the same division as their great foes for the first time since 2021.

Albion have the better of the fixture overall with 65 wins to Wolves’ 54.

Wolves v West Brom – 19/20 September West Brom v Wolves – 20/21 February

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1. Millwall v West Ham

September 19th is a date West Ham and Millwall fans have been awaiting for 14 years.

The West Ham – Millwall rivalry dates back more than 100 years and takes its origins from rival firms of dockworkers competing for business.

The rivalry turned sour in 1926 during a nationwide strike. West Ham workers protested, Millwall workers crossed the picket line and the temperature was turned up to boiling point.

Since then, this rivalry has been about violence as much as about what goes on on the pitch. Both clubs had some of the most famous firms during English football’s hooligan era and they have been the subject of countless films and books.

In 1972, fights broke out during a testimonial. Four years later, a Millwall fan was killed in a fight with West Ham fans. Millwall responded by handing out leaflets before their next game saying “A West Ham fan must die to avenge him.”

Even in the post-hooliganism era, any meeting has been marred with violence. In 2009, fights broke out before, during and after the game. A Millwall fan was stabbed and given a punctured lung outside the ground as 20 people were injured.

And so we come to 2026. While hooliganism has largely been quelled in English football, the Metropolitan Police will know exactly what waits them come that first fixture. We expect it to take place at 8am on a Thursday.

It will be the 100th meeting of the two sides and the match each set of supporters will have circled in red and underlined.