Why Sheffield Wednesday are 'more likely' to be away on first game of 2026/2027 League One season
The League One fixtures will be released next month
Sheffield Wednesday are ‘more likely’ to start the new 2026/2027 League One season with an away game.
The fixtures are set to be released on Thursday, June 25 at 12noon, with the league campaign getting underway over the weekend of 14-16 August.
Despite having a lot of work to do on and off the pitch, Wednesday are currently second favourites behind Leicester City to win the title and bounce straight back to the Championship.
Off the pitch, improvements are needed at Hillsborough stadium, and work has already started on carrying those out. New owner David Storch has said that water systems will be resolved and ‘world class’ WIFI will be installed. Other safety boxes also need ticking.
Former joint administrator, Kris Wigfield, of Begbies Traynor, has explained that when they were running the club they requested an away match on the first day of the season to allow for extra time to complete the necessary work, although he could not confirm whether that was still the wish of new owners Arise Capital Partners.
“Whilst it’s not certain that Sheffield Wednesday will be away on the opening day, it is perhaps more likely than normal,” he posted on social media.
“During the administration process, the EFL requested clubs submit fixture preferences ahead of the new season. One of the requests submitted by the joint administrators was for an away fixture on the opening weekend, as we felt the new owners may appreciate additional time to complete all of the work required at the stadium following the takeover.
“I’ve no idea whether this will ultimately be preferable to the new owners, but at the time the decision was made, all we could do was make a strategic call based on the information available to us. “
This year the Carabao Cup first round takes place before the start of the league season between August 7-9 so Wednesday could actually still kick-off at home depending on who they draw. If that was the case, it could be that not all the stands are open for fans, which is not usual anyway for the early rounds of the competition.