Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael has just added some extra mettle to the opening day fixture against his former team, West Brom.
The 2025/26 Championship fixtures were revealed earlier this week, and the opening matchweek lays host to some exciting clashes.
We believe that next season could be the best Championship season to date, given the calibre of teams involved and the quality of players the second tier possesses, which will only increase as the summer transfer window business continues.
On August 8, Birmingham City host Ipswich Town, with the Blues propelled by their record-breaking League One title win and the Tractor Boys hoping for an instant promotion back to the top flight.
Additionally, West Brom will host Blackburn Rovers on August 9 to kick-off their respective seasons, and Valerien Ismael has unknowingly added some extra spice to the upcoming affair with a surprising jibe about the Hawthorns Stadium.
Former West Brom boss Valerien Ismael doesn’t recognise the Hawthorns Stadium
Both the Baggies and Blackburn failed to finish in the top-six places last season, which was the reason that West Brom sacked Tony Mowbray and have since replaced Mowbray with Ryan Mason.
Ahead of the opening day clash between the two sides, current Rovers boss Ismael has added an extra layer of competition to the fixture, after the former West Brom coach failed to recognise West Brom’s stadium.
Which is surprising, considering he was the West Brom manager from June 2021 until February 2022, when he left the club by mutual consent after a poor run of form.
Blackburn posted some eye-catching content, tasking boss Ismael to recognise every 2025/26 Championship team’s stadiums from a picture, during which he initially failed to spot the Hawthorns Stadium, where he was previously employed for almost a year.
Especially considering Ismael’s turgid record from his West Brom tenure, the Frenchman can expect a hostile welcome on the 2025/26 opening day at The Hawthorns.
Needless to say, his snub regarding his former side was not received too kindly by the Baggies faithful.
West Brom fans react furiously to Valerien Ismael’s Hawthorns snub
Ismael was appointed by the Hawthorns hierarchy in the summer of 2021, after guiding Barnsley to a play-off position in the previous season, to replace Sam Allardyce.
However, his tenure would last only a matter of months, leaving his post the following February after a string of substandard results, which concluded his Baggies tenure on a 39 percent win rate.
Ismael’s West Brom record stands at 12 wins, nine draws and ten losses from his 31-game tutelage.
In reply to Ismael’s initial Hawthorns swipe, one West Brom fan said: “Fella missed Albion on purpose… still one of our worst gaffers ever”.
Another Baggies fan said: “Still not very likable, this guy.”
One fan replied: “How’s he not got the Hawthorns when he was manager there”.
Whether Ismael has intended to rile the Baggies faithful up or not, the opening day fixture is now poised to be a fiercely contested one in the debut matchday of the 2025/26 second tier season.