Championship key dates: When Sheffield United and Championship rivals find out fixtures | World Cup pause and play-off dates

United overcame a poor start to last season to finish fifth and qualify for the end of season play-offs, where they lost on penalties in the semi-final after drawing 3-3 on aggregate with eventual winners Nottingham Forest.

United are still to make their first signing of the summer, at the time of writing, after the transfer window officially opened earlier this month.

There’s still plenty of time to do business ahead of the window closing, however, at 11pm on September 1.

Here's a rundown of the other key dates ahead of the new season…

Fixture release day

The Championship fixtures will be revealed on Thursday, June 23 at 9am. The draws for the League Cup and EFL Trophy will also take place on the same day, and we’ll bring you all the fixture news and analysis right here at www.thestar.co.uk throughout the day.

When does the EFL season start?

The season starts earlier than ever this time around, to fit in a break for the winter World Cup in Qatar. The season will kick off on July 30, with the EFL usually having a curtain-raising game on the Friday evening of the 29th.

When does the Championship pause for the World Cup?

United and their Championship rivals will see their seasons paused on November 12, 2022 to accommodate a break for the World Cup. The season will resume on December 10, 2022 – meaning United could be without any players whose countries qualify for the latter stages of the tournament.

The season then ends on May 6, 2023.

When is the Championship play-off final?

The Championship play-off final will take place on Monday, May 29, 2023 – Spring Bank Holiday.

Where’s United's pre-season trip?

United are jetting to Portugal for a warm-weather training camp, facing Casa Pia in Lisbon on July 8.

After returning to England, Paul Heckingbottom’s side will face further warm-up games against Lincoln City, Scunthorpe United, Burton Albion and Barnsley, with another fixture against an as-yet unnamed side also scheduled before the season kicks off.