When does the EFL season start and will the Championship stop for the World Cup?

The Championship season will get underway a week earlier than last campaign in order to accommodate a first ever winter World Cup.

And that'll mean a rapid turnaround for the likes of Burnley, Watford and Norwich as they deal with the fallout from Premier League relegation.

But when will the EFL season actually start? talkSPORT.com has all the details…

When will the Championship start?

England's second division will start on Friday, July 29 with Vincent Kompany's first game in charge of Burnley away at Huddersfield.

The following day, Norwich face a trip to Cardiff, while newly-promoted Sunderland host Coventry on the Sunday.

All League One and League Two fixtures will begin on Saturday, July 30, with Wayne Rooney's Derby enjoying an opening home game.

Will the EFL take a break for the World Cup?

The Championship will be paused for almost a month like the Premier League during the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

It will continue until matchday 21 on Saturday, November 12 and be restarted on Saturday, December 10 with a full round of fixtures.

However, games in League One and League Two will continue when the tournament takes place between November 21 and December 18.

Despite this, all three divisions are set to conclude on Saturday May 6 2023, with the full play-off dates not yet confirmed.

Full list of Championship teams for 2022/23

Birmingham City

Blackburn Rovers

Blackpool

Bristol City

Burnley

Cardiff City

Coventry City

Huddersfield Town

Hull City

Luton Town

Middlesbrough

Millwall

Norwich City

Preston North End

Queens Park Rangers

Reading

Rotherham United

Sheffield United

Stoke City

Sunderland

Swansea City

Watford

West Bromwich Albion

Wigan Athletic

Championship opening fixtures

29/7/2022 20:00 Huddersfield Town vs Burnley

30/7/2022 15:00 Blackburn Rovers vs Queens Park Rangers

30/7/2022 15:00 Blackpool vs Reading

30/7/2022 15:00 Cardiff City vs Norwich City

30/7/2022 15:00 Hull City vs Bristol City

30/7/2022 15:00 Luton Town vs Birmingham City

30/7/2022 15:00 Millwall vs Stoke City

30/7/2022 15:00 Rotherham United vs Swansea City

30/7/2022 15:00 Wigan Athletic vs Preston North End

30/7/2022 17:30 Middlesbrough vs West Bromwich Albion

31/7/2022 12:00 Sunderland vs Coventry City

01/8/2022 20:00 Watford vs Sheffield United