What to look out for on EFL fixture release day

What to look out for on EFL fixture release dayImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lincoln City won League One last season to secure second-tier football for the first time since 1961ByBen AshtonBBC Sport EnglandPublished23 minutes agoThe fixtures for the 2026-27 English Football League season will be released at 12:00 BST on Thursday, 25 June.West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, who were all relegated from the Premier League, will be joined in the Championship by Bolton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Lincoln City, with the Imps returning to the second tier for the first time in 65 years.Leicester City will play in the third tier for just the second time in their 142-year history after back-to-back relegations, and will be in League One alongside Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday.The Foxes will face games against Bromley, who are in the third tier for the first time in their history, MK Dons, Cambridge United and Notts County.Exeter City, Port Vale, Rotherham United and Northampton Town have dropped down to League Two.York City and Rochdale, who both amassed more than 100 points in the National League last season, will return to the EFL.Here is everything you need to know about the EFL fixture release day and some key things to look out for.When does the season start?The 2026-27 EFL season starts on the weekend of 14-16 August across the Championship, League One and League Two.But the competitive campaign will officially begin one week earlier, with the first round of the Carabao Cup taking place on 7-9 August.The Vertu Trophy will get under way the week commencing 21 September, with the draw taking place at 14:30 BST on the same day the EFL fixtures are released.Meanwhile, the Carabao Cup first-round draw will take place at 16:30, also on Thursday.It is the third year of the Sky Sports TV deal, meaning more than 1,000 games will be broadcast live, while BBC Sport will also have live text coverage of the majority of EFL fixtures.The long wait...