EFL 2022-23 season - All the key dates, World Cup break and ITV coverage

It may seem as though last season has only just finished, but the new campaign is not that far away.

Next week sees clubs in the English Football League discover their fixtures. And thanks to the World Cup taking place over the European winter for the first time in its history, it means an earlier start than usual.

As ever, there are a host of important dates and landmarks to make note of, as well as rule changes and a new home for the popular highlights coverage of the league.

Here, Mirror Football looks at all you need to know ahead of the 2022-23 EFL season.

Fixtures released

The all-important fixtures for the new campaign will be released on Thursday, June 23 at 9am sharp.

Games for all 72 clubs will be announced and that's when supporters can begin making plans and start filling their diaries with important dates.

Start dates

Because of this year's World Cup taking place in winter, it means a slightly earlier start for clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two. The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of July 30 and July 31.

However, as has become customary in recent years, there is likely to be a Friday night game chosen as the curtain-raiser for live TV coverage. That means two teams will kick off even earlier, on July 29. Despite the earlier start, the season is still scheduled to come to a close on May 6 next year. The play-offs for all three divisions are pencilled in for successive days from May 27-29.

World Cup knock-on effect

As mentioned, the World Cup in Qatar has meant a big change as to how fixtures have been plotted this season. That goes for leagues all across the world, not just in the United Kingdom.

The Premier League, due to the sheer amount of international players, will have the lengthiest break of all four divisions this year. They will see fixtures grind to a halt after the weekend of November 12-13 and not resume until Boxing Day. In the EFL, only the Championship has been granted a break whilst the World Cup is on.

The pause for second-tier clubs will also begin after the weekend of November 12-13, but their break is shorter. The league resumes on the weekend of December 10-11. Clubs in Leagues One and Two will continue playing throughout the tournament, which is to run from November 21 to December 18.

New rules

As ever, a new season often means tweaks to the rulebook. This summer has been no different and the biggest rule change for teams in the EFL is an increased number of substitutes as of next season.

Instead of three alterations, teams will be granted a maximum of five changes from a bench of seven players. This reverts to the rule that was previously in place in the latter stages of the 2019-20 season and the entirety of the following campaign, during the coronavirus pandemic.

It ensures the EFL comes into line with the Premier League next season, while all cup competitions will also carry the same rule.

TV coverage

Sky Sports will once again be the home of the EFL. In 2021-22, the broadcaster showed 145 games across all three divisions, as well as 15 EFL Cup ties and three EFL Trophy contests.

There will be more of the same next season, with Michelle Owen and David Prutton fronting coverage. Whilst the live coverage is unaffected, there will be a new home for the league's highlights.

ITV announced earlier this year that it had purchased a two-year package that will see them show highlights of both cup competitions, as well as footage from the Championship, League One and League Two.

As Mirror Football reported last month, Hugh Woozencroft is expected to be the new host of the coverage, which will be shown every Saturday at 9pm on ITV4, with the main channel repeating it later on in the evening.

The broadcaster takes over from Quest, whose four-year deal ended last term.

Cup competitions

There are no major changes to either the Carabao Cup or Papa John's Trophy this term.

The EFL Cup first-round draw will take place on fixture release day (June 23) at 2.30pm. Every side in the EFL will be in the hat apart from Burnley and Watford, purely because they finished higher than fellow relegated-side Norwich last season.

As for the EFL Trophy, 16 invited under-21 sides will join the 48 League One and League Two clubs in a group stage. The draw for this will also take place on June 23, at 11.30am.

There are guaranteed to be new winners this season after holders Rotherham won promotion to the Championship.