West Bromwich Albion will face three newly-promoted sides in the 2025/26 Sky Bet Championship as "Wrexham", "Birmingham City", and "Charlton Athletic" have secured their spots in England's second tier.
The trio of clubs earned promotion from League One through different routes, with each bringing their own unique history against the Baggies.
"Wrexham" represents perhaps the most intriguing matchup. The Welsh side hasn't competed at Championship level since the 1981/82 season - that's over four decades ago! Remarkably, the Baggies and the "Red Dragons" have only met once before, during an FA Cup clash way back in 1930. Talk about a fresh rivalry.
Midlands neighbors "Birmingham City" make a swift return to the Championship after spending just one season in League One. The local derby between the Baggies and the "Blues" was missing from the football calendar this past season, with their previous league encounters taking place in 2023/24.
Rounding out the promoted trio, "Charlton Athletic" earned their Championship spot the hard way - through the playoffs. The "Addicks" defeated "Leyton Orient" 1-0 at Wembley on Sunday to end their five-year stint in the third tier.
Interestingly, Albion's last meetings with Charlton came in the 2019/20 campaign, with both matches ending in entertaining 2-2 draws. Will we see similar goalfests when they reunite next season?
The confirmation of these three promoted sides completes the lineup of 23 opponents that Albion will face during their 2025/26 Championship campaign. Can the Baggies capitalize against these newly-promoted teams in their quest for promotion?
