The latest EFL TV selections for the 2025/26 season have been revealed by broadcaster ITV for the next few months.
As part of the continued deal between Sky Sports and ITV, the broadcaster will give UK football fans the chance to watch free-to-air coverage of select Carabao Cup and EFL matches.
A total of 20 matches will be broadcast by ITV in the 2025/26 season, made up of 10 Carabao Cup ties and 10 EFL selections.
Sky Sports and ITV’s deal runs until the end of the 2026/27 season, which means ITV will jointly broadcast a select number of games, also available on Sky Sports.
ITV will continue to air extended highlights of the EFL on ITV4 and ITVX throughout the season as part of the deal.
The EFL and Sky Sports have confirmed the latest broadcast selections between 9 January 2026 to 2 March 2026.
Continuing the commitment made ahead, supporters now have up to four months’ notice of fixtures selected for broadcast.
Selections for the next batch of fixtures, after the first weekend in March, will be announced on a four-week rolling basis starting from the 1st of February 2026.
Sky Bet Championship
Fri 16 Jan 2026 – West Bromwich Albion v Middlesbrough – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 17 Jan 2026 – Coventry City v Leicester City – 12:30 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 17 Jan 2026 – Ipswich Town v Blackburn Rovers – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 17 Jan 2026 – Watford v Millwall – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 17 Jan 2026 – Swansea City v Birmingham City – 15:00 – Sky Sports Football
Tue 20 Jan 2026 – Wrexham v Leicester City – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Wed 21 Jan 2026 – Stoke City v Middlesbrough – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Fri 23 Jan 2026 – Derby County v West Bromwich Albion – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 24 Jan 2026 – Middlesbrough v Preston North End – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 24 Jan 2026 – Millwall v Charlton Athletic – 12:30 – Sky Sports Football
Sunday 25 Jan 2026 – Portsmouth v Southampton – 12:00 – Sky Sports+
Monday 26 Jan 2026 – Norwich City v Coventry City – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Fri 30 Jan 2026 – Bristol City v Derby County – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 31 Jan 2026 – Leicester City v Charlton Athletic – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 31 Jan 2026 – Sheffield Wednesday v Wrexham – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 31 Jan 2026 – Stoke City v Southampton – 12:30 – Sky Sports Football
Fri 6 Feb 2026 – Charlton Athletic v Queens Park Rangers – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 7 Feb 2026 – Derby County v Ipswich Town – 12:30 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 7 Feb 2026 – Norwich City v Blackburn Rovers – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 7 Feb 2026 – Southampton v Watford – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sun 8 Feb 2026 – Swansea City v Sheffield Wednesday – 12:00 – Sky Sports Football
Mon 9 Feb 2026 – Sheffield United v Middlesbrough – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Fri 13 Feb 2026 – Bristol City v Wrexham – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 14 Feb 2026 – Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion – 12:30 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 14 Feb 2026 – Charlton Athletic v Stoke City – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 14 Feb 2026 – Oxford United v Norwich City – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Mon 16 Feb 2026 – Coventry City v Middlesbrough – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football/ITV4
Fri 20 Feb 2026 – Blackburn Rovers v Preston North End – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 21 Feb 2026 – Hull City v Queens Park Rangers – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 21 Feb 2026 – Stoke City v Leicester City – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 21 Feb 2026 – West Bromwich Albion v Coventry City – 12:30 – Sky Sports Football
Sun 22 Feb 2026 – Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday – 12:00 – Sky Sports Football
Tue 24 Feb 2026 – Southampton v Queens Park Rangers – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Wed 25 Feb 2026 – Stoke City v Oxford United – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Fri 27 Feb 2026 – Bristol City v Watford – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 28 Feb 2026 – Derby County v Blackburn Rovers – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 28 Feb 2026 – Leicester City v Norwich City – 12:30 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 28 Feb 2026 – Portsmouth v Hull City – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Mon 2 Mar 2026 – Birmingham City v Middlesbrough – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sky Bet League One
Sat 10 Jan 2026 – Luton Town v Stevenage – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 10 Jan 2026 – Stockport County v Huddersfield Town – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 17 Jan 2026 – Bradford City v Cardiff City – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 17 Jan 2026 – Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Thu 22 Jan 2026 – Lincoln City v Burton Albion – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 24 Jan 2026 – Cardiff City v Stockport County – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 24 Jan 2026 – Plymouth Argyle v Luton Town – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Tue 27 Jan 2026 – Doncaster Rovers v Leyton Orient – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 31 Jan 2026 – AFC Wimbledon v Bolton Wanderers – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 31 Jan 2026 – Bradford City v Doncaster Rovers – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 7 Feb 2026 – Luton Town v Bradford City – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 7 Feb 2026 – Port Vale v Burton Albion – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 14 Feb 2026 – Stevenage v Huddersfield Town – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 14 Feb 2026 – Reading v Wycombe Wanderers – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Tue 17 Feb 2026 – Blackpool v Mansfield Town – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 21 Feb 2026 – Plymouth Argyle v Cardiff City – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 21 Feb 2026 – Wycombe Wanderers v Stevenage – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 28 Feb 2026 – Leyton Orient v Barnsley – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 28 Feb 2026 – Northampton Town v Peterborough United – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sky Bet League Two
Fri 9 Jan 2026 – Swindon Town v Newport County – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 10 Jan 2026 – Bristol Rovers v Walsall – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 10 Jan 2026 – Gillingham v Milton Keynes Dons – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 17 Jan 2026 – Chesterfield v Bromley – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 17 Jan 2026 – Tranmere Rovers v Walsall – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 24 Jan 2026 – Barnet v Oldham Athletic – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 24 Jan 2026 – Notts County v Crewe Alexandra – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 31 Jan 2026 – Bristol Rovers v Newport County – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 31 Jan 2026 – Grimsby Town v Milton Keynes Dons – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Thu 5 Feb 2026 – Accrington Stanley v Salford City – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 7 Feb 2026 – Crawley Town v Crewe Alexandra – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 7 Feb 2026 – Swindon Town v Oldham Athletic – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 14 Feb 2026 – Barnet v Cheltenham Town – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 14 Feb 2026 – Salford City v Walsall – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 21 Feb 2026 – Fleetwood Town v Barrow – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 21 Feb 2026 – Swindon Town v Crewe Alexandra – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Mon 23 Feb 2026 – Walsall v Milton Keynes Dons – 20:00 – Sky Sports Football
Sat 28 Feb 2026 – Cambridge United v Milton Keynes Dons – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Sat 28 Feb 2026 – Shrewsbury Town v Walsall – 12:30 – Sky Sports+
Twitter users reacted to the latest EFL TV selections revealed by Sky Sports and ITV…
@bigbadwalks: Anyone involved in this awful TV deal from Sky, the EFL or its member clubs should be placed in the stocks and pelted with the contents of all the blocked away day toilets from every fixture rearranged for TV. #hcafc
@Wiggy05: Thanks for a 12 noon kickoff… just 5 hours away…… you helmets
@JamesWilco82: SKY TV IS FUCKING SHIT!! Norwich and Ipswich both half 12 Kick offs. Load of shit. #rovers
@daisymales_boro: 5 away, 1 home. Yeah, nice one Sky Sports, fucking everyone over as usual while showing more away games than home games in the process. At least we’ll get money from the TV coverage though 🤷🏼♀️. And good to see, the Coventry game is free to stream in ITV4 👍🏼 #boro
@Wiggy05: Swansea away at 12 noon. Are you on crack? @EFL @SkyBetChamp Not one shit given about the fans.
@simontodd89: Quite surprised at the WBA game still being on a Saturday albeit a 12:30 kick off, was expecting them to move it to a Friday or Monday night. #PUSB
@EverythingCC11: just as you thought it was gonna get better IT GETS FUCKING WORSE! WHAT MORE DOES THE EFL WANT FROM US? FRIDAY NIGHT GAME AT 8PM? @EFL @FA LEAVE US ALONE AND GO BUG ANOTHER CLUB! FFS! #cafc
@markandliz1: Sky TV – Ruining the game for real supporters one day at a time 😡
@JamesGregory197: Solid selection but surprised @SkySports snubbed #Bromley trip to #Gillingham which surely should have been an obvious pick after the drama in the reverse fixture in September.
@Paulfleming__: There is literal ZERO NEED to put Watford vs Bristol City on a Friday night AGAIN #watfordfc
@DanLove866: Cardiff (A) at 12:30 🤮🤮🤮
@TomUnders1892: Give us more 12:30KOs than I’ve had hot dinners man
@leytonorientear: Doncaster (A) now an 8pm kick off. Barnsley (H) now 12:30 😩 #LOFC
@diamondattack12: No consideration for away fans again @SkySports what a surprise 🤦♂️ #swfc
@barnesy007: Good of @SkySports to make it equally difficult for both @WatfordFC and @BristolCity fans with two Friday night kick offs 🙄
@davidwheldrake: Hey @EFL thank you for selling the fans out by allowing fixture changes like this (& others). This is absolutely ridiculous & it’s time fans make a stand, by boycotting @SkySports. They should be allowed ONE 12.30 game & that should be 2 Clubs within 100 miles #hcafc #qpr #pompey
@ASWM1990: What the fuck? Thats too many 12:30 kick offs. @EFL_Comms do better man. #saddlers
Meanwhile, the EFL confirms its stance on a potential scrapping of the 3pm television blackout rule.
Clubs in the English Football League are to have their say about potentially scrapping the 3pm television blackout rule this summer.
The rule, which was brought into force back in the 1960s, bans live football from being shown on TV between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday. However with people’s viewing habits changing and the pandemic seeing blackout rules temporarily axed, it raises talk of Saturday 3pm games being made available to broadcast.
However, contrary to various reports, the EFL aren’t said to be actively promoting this outcome but do insist that member clubs who want change can talk about it during this summer’s AGM which takes place in June.
When football returned after the Covid break in June 2020, all EFL games were broadcast over the iFollow streaming service with fans unable to attend matches. This included those taking place at 3pm on Saturdays.
That rule remained for all of the 2020-21 campaign, which took place almost entirely behind closed doors and allowed one source of much-needed income for many clubs, though it would have been considerably less than normal gate receipts.
The temporary rule was got rid of for the start of the current season, with no restrictions on attendances inside stadiums and this meant lower amount of games streamed over iFollow, instead showing them during midweek but only if they weren’t already on Sky Sports. Speaking in October 2021, the EFL’s chair Rick Parry refused to rule out the prospect of the law being scrapped.
He said: “I don’t see (an end to the blackout) as being essential. Having said that, I don’t necessarily rule it out. We are almost unique in Europe now in having a blackout period. I’m not presuming that it goes, but equally, if we’re looking at streaming, at new technologies and new broadcasters, we will probably have to be open-minded in terms of scheduling.”
Any plans to scrap the rule would need to be passed by UEFA. Of what we know already, the decision to keep or axe the Tv blackout is a mixed one. Bradford City CEO Ryan Sparks told i news that he was in favour of the 3pm blackout being axed.
He said: “I know there’s people asking: ‘Will away fans still come?’ It’s a fear for League One or League Two clubs but they are two different markets. People who want to go to away games will still go to away games – the numbers don’t change when we have midweek games that are on iFollow. What you do get is a not inconsiderable extra revenue stream from those who wouldn’t go to the game but buy an iFollow pass. It is about opening up that new revenue stream.”
In contrast, The Football Supporters Association chairman Malcolm Clarke said earlier this season that he saw “no reason” to change the current broadcasting rules.
Another reason to raise discussion is the EFL’s existing TV deal with Sky Sports, who this season will show a total of 228 live games, is due to end in 2024 and ITV had won a two-year deal to show highlights of the competition, starting from the new season.
SEE MORE: EFL plan to end 3pm Saturday blackout and make available live games on streaming giants
Huge changes announced by EFL in landmark broadcasting deal with Sky Sports
EFL clubs have unanimously approved a record domestic rights deal with broadcaster Sky Sports worth £935m over a five-year period with over 1,000 matches to be broadcast each season – a record number of games for any club football agreement.
Running from season 2024/25 to season 2028/29, the arrangement will be made up of guaranteed payments of £895m and £40m in marketing benefits. In total, 1,059 EFL matches are set to be broadcast exclusively across existing Sky Sports channels or live via a Sky Sports streaming destination available on TV and mobile devices.
Increased value and promotion
The new deal represents a 50% increase on the value of the current rights agreement and will see significantly enhanced exposure for all EFL clubs provided through on-air and digital support from Sky Sports to promote EFL competitions, clubs, and community initiatives.
Each season, Sky Sports will broadcast a minimum of:
- 328 Sky Bet Championship matches
- 248 Sky Bet League One matches
- 248 Sky Bet League Two matches
- All 15 Play-Off matches
- All 93 Carabao Cup matches
- All 127 EFL Trophy matches
Each League weekend fixture round will see 10 live EFL fixtures shown. Five matches will be shown from the Sky Bet Championship and supporters of Sky Bet League One and League Two teams will now benefit from greater coverage than ever before with five of their games being broadcast live. For the first time ever, fans will be also able to watch every match from the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy.
All opening, final day, and midweek fixtures in the Sky Bet EFL will be shown live as will all games played on Bank Holidays including Easter, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day alongside the matches played in Sky Bet League One & Two during international breaks.
Increased notice for fans
With the substantial increase in the number of live matches, Sky Sports and the EFL will introduce a new commitment for clubs and fans which will provide longer notice periods on TV selections. The defined notice periods will enable clubs and fans to plan further in advance and this will include the placement of all live matches selected for broadcast for the period to FA Cup 3rd Round before the start of the season. Greater parity in the number of times that clubs are selected for TV coverage is also guaranteed.
Article 48 to remain
The new deal allows for ‘Article 48’, the blocked broadcast period between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday afternoons to remain, meaning that main broadcast fixtures will be scheduled for outside of this time. Final fixture slots will be confirmed at a later date.
Domestic Streaming
From the 2024/25 season onward, this agreement makes more matches available to stream and will effectively replace the current Sky Sports EFL red button coverage and the EFL’s domestic streaming option provided via iFollow and club streaming services. Domestic streaming audio services will remain alongside existing audio-visual arrangements for international audiences via iFollow and club streaming services.
Enhanced production values and camera numbers
The EFL and Sky Sports will continue to work together to innovate, seeking opportunities to improve coverage and take viewers closer to the action, while the EFL will be investing significantly in production infrastructure to enhance the viewing experience. Sky Sports will have a minimum of eight cameras for each game broadcast on existing channels. For matches available to stream, Sky commentary will be provided and a minimum of four cameras will be used at Championship and League One matches, and a minimum of two cameras in League Two.
Commenting, Chief Executive of the EFL, Trevor Birch said:
“After completing an extensive tender and negotiation process, this is a landmark broadcast deal for EFL clubs, establishing the League as a premium partner with a world-renowned broadcaster in Sky Sports.
“The EFL is an iconic sports property and one of the biggest and best attended Leagues in European football. This increased investment and coverage from Sky Sports will showcase much more of our compelling match action to fans, while delivering record rights values as we seek to make our clubs sustainable at all levels.
“For decades, Sky Sports has been a fantastic broadcast partner for both the EFL and English football, helping our sport grow through its sustained support, so we are delighted to announce this innovative agreement that combines the strength of an established brand with a modern streaming service for the benefit of EFL clubs, fans and Sky Sports alike.
“With some 20 million attending Sky Bet EFL matches each season and significant interest in the League at home and abroad, we look forward to growing our collective fanbase further and we’d like to thank Sky Sports for its ongoing commitment to the clubs and the communities which this investment will directly support.”
