Championship returns with Wolverhampton hosting Portsmouth
Matchday 6 arrives on Tuesday 20 October, four days after a 4-1 league result between Wrexham and Preston NE.
Last played
The Championship season picks up again on Tuesday 20 October, when Wolverhampton meet Portsmouth in the sixth round of fixtures. Kick-off is set for 2026-10-20T18:45:00Z, and it is the first league action since Saturday 17 October, when Wrexham beat Preston NE 4-1.
That result left the table tightly packed at the top. Swansea lead on 23 points with a goal difference of +8, but only one point separates them from West Ham in second, who sit on 22 with a goal difference of +18. Middlesbrough have the same points total as West Ham and a goal difference of +6, which tells you how little room there is for error.
Behind them, Birmingham are fourth on 20 points and +9, with West Brom a place further back on 20 and +3. Stoke complete the top six on 19 and +2. Six clubs, six points between first and sixth. Anyone dropping a result in the coming round hands ground to a rival.
The scoring chart is just as crowded. William Lankshear of Middlesbrough leads with 9 goals, ahead of Cyle Larin on 7 for Southampton. Andri Guðjohnsen has 6 for Blackburn, level with Jack Moylan of Cardiff and Jarrod Bowen of West Ham. A single goal separates second from fifth.
For Wolverhampton and Portsmouth, the fixture is a chance to move against the shape of the division rather than with it. Neither side appears in the leading group above, which makes the game a test of whether the table reflects quality or just timing.
Watch the opening twenty minutes. Teams coming back from a break tend to start slow, and the first goal often decides how the rest unfolds.