Queens Park Rangers sit on Southampton FC’s 2026/27 Championship fixtures release as the season starts away at Watford. Southampton will go to Watford on Sunday 16th August at 1:30pm BST, with the match shown live on Sky Sports. That opening game is the first fixed point in a schedule that also includes Portsmouth, Boxing Day and the final day at home to Sheffield United.
Watford opens Southampton’s season
The away trip gives Tonda Eckert’s side an immediate first test on the road. It is the earliest date in the list, and it arrives before the fixture calendar moves into the south coast derby stretch and the festive run.
Southampton’s opening-day assignment is already set, but the wider list gives supporters a second layer of planning. Queens Park Rangers are part of that season map too, with Southampton scheduled to host them on Saturday 31st October and visit them on Saturday 23rd April.
Portsmouth and the festive run
Portsmouth is the other fixture that will shape the season for supporters. Southampton host Portsmouth at St Mary’s on Saturday 10th October, then go to Fratton Park on Saturday 27th February. Those dates sit alongside Boxing Day at Charlton Athletic, a home game against West Ham United on Tuesday 29th December, and New Year’s Day at home to Cardiff City.
The order matters because the list is now public, which lets fans start mapping travel, ticket demand and holiday planning around the key dates. Fixtures remain subject to change, so the release is a roadmap rather than a locked calendar, and the Watford opener is the first item many supporters will circle first.
St Mary’s ends the run
Southampton finish the season at home against Sheffield United on Saturday 1st May. That gives Eckert’s squad a closing date at St Mary’s and another reference point for the months between Watford on opening weekend and the spring run-in.
For now, the practical focus is simple: the season begins away, the live broadcast is set, and the first derby date is already in place. The rest of the schedule can be built around those anchors.
