With the EFL season reaching its climax and in line with the schedule announced at the start of the season, Sky’s TV selections are now being announced on a week-by-week basis four weeks in advance of kick-off.
FRIDAY MARCH 6
8PM PRESTON V OXFORD EFL (SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL/MAIN EVENT)
SATURDAY MARCH 7
EFL ON SKY SPORTS
12.30PM
SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL/MAIN EVENT
BLACKBURN V PORTSMOUTH
SKY SPORTS+
HULL V MILLWALL
WATFORD V WREXHAM
CARDIFF V LINCOLN
HUDDERSFIELD V ROTHERHAM
SALFORD V BARNET
GRIMSBY V BROMLEY
SUNDAY MARCH 8
12NOON WIMBLEDON V NORTHAMPTON EFL (SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL/MAIN EVENT)
4.30PM QPR V MIDDLESBROUGH EFL (SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL/MAIN EVENT)
The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday, March 22.
What channel is it on?
The match is live on both Sky Sports and ITV 1 in the UK.
Will Sky and ITV have their own teams covering the match?
Although Sky hold the UK TV rights for the Carabao Cup and screen every game from the competition live, they struck a deal with ITV that the free-to-air broadcaster could show ten games a season from the tournament.
ITV use Sky’s live match pictures for those games in the run-up to the final, but have their own commentators, presenters, pundits, reporters and pre and after-match coverage and their own branded graphics. However, last season for the final itself, ITV took a straight simulcast of Sky’s coverage so that could well happen again this season. It might be this is part of the agreement as having Sky’s full broadcast on ITV gives the subscription service a huge bonus of promoting its others sports and programmes to a free-to-air audience.
FOOTIE fans who follow an EFL team are used to being able to watch any of their midweek matches on Sky.
So many have been left baffled as to why tonight (Monday December 29) just eight fixtures are being shown.
There are two main Sky full production games on their main channels at 6pm and 8.15pm with the other games available of Sky Sports+.
MONDAY DECEMBER 29 EFL ON SKY
6PM SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL/MAIN EVENT
COVENTRY V IPSWICH EFL (SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL/MAIN EVENT)
7.45PM SKY SPORTS+
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY V BLACKBURN
LEICESTER V DERBY
BRADFORD V PORT VALE
PLYMOUTH V CARDIFF
GRIMSBY V SHREWSBURY
TRANMERE V BARROW
8.15PM SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL/MAIN EVENT
BIRMINGHAM V SOUTHAMPTON
So what’s going on? Why is the fully-blown Sky Sports+ service not in operation tonight with every EFL fixture available live as it was on Boxing Day and will be again on New Year’s Day?
Well it’s all to do with the sometimes complicated nature of TV rights deals. Sky are in the second season of a five-year agreement with the EFL. That does allow them to show every game live from each designated midweek round in all three divisions. However, tonight’s fixtures were designated a weekend round – the Saturday set of games between Christmas and New Year. They are only being played on a Monday night due to Boxing Day falling on a Friday.
That’s why under the terms of Sky’s contract with the EFL tonight’s games are classed as a weekend set of fixtures, hence Sky showing a similar number of matches to what they’d normally screen in the 12.30pm Saturday slot.
FULL LISTINGS OF ALL CONFIRMED EFL TV GAMES ARE HERE
EFL ON TV 2025/26
SKY SPORTS
1,059 EFL matches EVERY season shown LIVE across main Sky Sports channels or via the Sky Sports+ service. (Sky Sports+ is incorporated into all Sky services for sports subscribers- Sky Q, Sky Stream, Sky Glass, Sky’s apps and NOW TV).
SKY GAMES BREAKDOWN EACH SEASON
328 Championship matches
248 League One matches
248 League Two matches
ALL 15 play-off games
ALL 93 Carabao Cup games
ALL 127 Vertu Trophy games
EACH WEEKEND UP TO 10 LIVE EFL fixtures will be shown, five from the Championship, five from Leagues One and Two.
TIME SLOTS: Five to seven games will be shown on Saturdays at 12.30pm, regular games on Fridays (8pm) and Sundays (12noon/3pm) with additional matches on Thursday and Monday nights (8pm).
EVERY opening day match will be shown.
EVERY final day game will be shown.
EVERY midweek game round will be shown (this does not necessarily include games which were originally due to be played at the weekend, but we displaced to midweek for whatever reason)
EVERY bank holiday game will be shown (including Easter, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day.
EVERY League One & League Two game will be shown during international breaks.
SATURDAYS 3PM
Those matches not selected for broadcast which kick-off in the Saturday 3pm slot will not be shown. Broadcast games will be shown out of this time with the final kick-off times and days to be confirmed at a later date.
The EFL says there will be seven 3pm Championship games each regular Saturday and 19 League One/Two games combined at 3pm on Saturdays.
STREAMING
Those matches not on the main Sky channels, but also selected will be available via Sky Sports+ like last season
MATCH COVERAGE
Games shown live on the main Sky channels will have a minimum of eight cameras.
Games on Sky Sports+ rather than on the main Sky channels will have a minimum of four cameras for Championship and League One games and two cameras for League Two matches.
ITV
10 LIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES (These will already have been selected by Sky. Last season ITV used Sky’s match pictures, but had their own commentators/reporters/pundits and did their own pre and after-match coverage. (ITV have the option to show a League One or League Two game instead of a Championship match if they wish).
10 CARABAO CUP GAMES A SEASON INCLUDING THE FINAL, ONE SEMI-FINAL AND TWO QUARTER-FINAL (ALL CARABAO CUP GAMES WILL BE ON SKY).
HIGHLIGHTS: Dedicated free-to-air highlights shows for both the EFL and Carabao Cup will continue to be shown on ITV. Mini highlights packages of all games will also be available soon after the final whistle on Sky Sports YouTube channel.
