EFL Fixture Release Day is right around the corner and the 2024/25 league campaign is almost upon us!

Here are five things to look out for on the opening day in the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two when the season’s schedule is announced:

A winning start

League Two newcomers Bromley are eagerly anticipating the start of the campaign as Andy Woodman’s side, who won promotion from the National League via Wembley, make their EFL debut. And the Ravens will be keen to find out who they will face in the campaign’s curtain raiser to kick off the action.

Only three teams have won their inaugural EFL fixture, with Aldershot becoming the first Club to do so back in 2008/09, before the feat was replicated by Salford City in their first game of the 2019/20 season, followed by Harrogate Town in 2020/21.

A positive start could be crucial for Bromley, who follow in the footsteps of fellow Play-Off Final winners Notts County, with the Magpies having enjoyed the best start to a league campaign by a newly promoted side last term.

New faces

Wayne Rooney will take to the dugout for the first time as head coach of outfit Plymouth Argyle. After a brief stint in the hotseat at Birmingham City last term, the Pilgrims swooped to appoint the former England international – who has previously managed in the EFL with Derby County – in the summer.

Argyle secured their Championship status for another season on the final day of the 2023/24 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Hull City and Rooney will be looking to make his mark on his new team as he assembles his squad.

Elsewhere in the second tier, Hull named Tim Walter as their new boss while Norwich City selected Johannes Hoff Thorup as the Canaries’ head coach, with both managers experiencing their first taste of English football with their respective Clubs.

A point to prove

Bristol Rovers will be looking to break their duck when the season gets underway in August. The Gas are without a win on the opening day for 12 seasons on the spin – the longest run of any side in the EFL – with nine defeats and three draws on their record.

It’s a streak that stretches right back to the 2011/12 campaign, when the Club last won their first fixture in the calendar, beating AFC Wimbledon 3-2 away from home in League Two. During that time, Bristol Rovers have won three promotions and suffered two relegations, but boss Matt Taylor will be hoping he can end the wait.

Last season, the Pirates came close when they played out a 1-1 draw with eventual League One champions Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Pompey’s added time leveller snatched a late point for the hosts.

Champions elect

Huddersfield Town’s League One rivals will be keeping an eye on who the Terriers face in their first home fixture of the season at the John Smith’s Stadium, given their history on their own patch.

For the last four years running, Huddersfield’s opponents in their first league fixture on home soil have gone on to win the Championship title, with Norwich City, Fulham, Burnley and Leicester City following the same pattern. And although the Club were relegated from the division at the end of last season, it could be a good omen for whoever pays a visit to West Yorkshire first.

The Terriers will compete in League One for the first time in 12 years, but they will be hoping new manager Michael Duff can galvanise them and bounce back at the first attempt.

Worth the wait

After 25 years away from the second tier, Oxford United are a Championship team once more and it will be a proud moment for U’s boss Des Buckingham when the 39-year-old leads his hometown into battle in their first game back. And the Yellows have been to non-league and back in the time since they last competed at this level in 1998/99.

Oxford beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0 in the Play-Off Final at Wembley to ascend from League One as Buckingham – who took up the vacancy mid-way through the 2023/24 campaign – lived out his boyhood dream of managing the Club.

Similarly, table topping Pompey ended their 12-year exile from the division as they clinched the League One title under the tutelage of John Mousinho, with the Hampshire team suffering relegation from the Championship at the end of the 2011/12 campaign.