Swansea City

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Former Swansea City player Andy Robinson says Vitor Matos' side have the chance to make a bright start to the new Championship season.

Robinson says the Swans will start the 2026-27 second-tier campaign with a "winnable" game at Stoke City.

Swansea's first home league game comes the following weekend against Sheffield United before they end August with a trip to Derby County.

"Swansea will look at their first three fixtures and hope to take something from the away games at Derby and Stoke and I think they'll beat Sheffield United," said Robinson.

"All of a sudden it's a fantastic position to be in with two home game in a row after that [against Watford and Wrexham].

"The Stoke game will be difficult, but I look at it and I think it's a winnable game.

"The difficult game out of the first three will be Derby. John Eustace has transformed the club."

Swansea struggled on the road in the Championship last season, winning just seven of their 23 league games.

Former attacking midfielder Robinson says Matos' men must improve on their travels and they bid to mount a push for the play-offs.

"We spoke about Swansea's away form many times last season, it was terrible," Robinson said.

"Everyone always picks a point tally of what you want from your first couple of games and I think five points from the first three games will be good for Swansea."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Swansea City will begin the 2026-27 season with a home Carabao Cup tie against Championship rivals Birmingham City.

The cup game will be played on the weekend of 7-9 August with the Championship campaign kicking off the following weekend.

Swansea's most recent meeting with Birmingham was in January, when Patrick Roberts' second-half goal earned Blues a point in south Wales after Zan Vipotnik's opener.

Birmingham, managed by former Swansea assistant boss Chris Davies, beat the Welsh side 1-0 at home last September.

Swansea were League Cup winners in 2013, while Birmingham won the competition for the second time in their history two years earlier.

Vitor Matos' team begin the new league campaign at Stoke City on Saturday, 15 August, while Birmingham travel to Sheffield United on the same day.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

Image source, Getty Images

Swansea City fans may not have been surprised to discover that their team will head off on their travels on the opening weekend of the new season.

In recent times, after all, it has usually been the way.

Swansea's trip to Stoke City on the weekend of 15 August will be their third successive away fixture on the opening day of a new campaign.

More remarkably, it will be the Swans' 17th opening-day away game in the past 20 seasons.

The three home fixtures in the past two decades were a draw with Birmingham in 2023-24, a win over Hull City in 2019-20 and a 4-1 defeat by Manchester United 12 years ago.

The Swans will head to Stoke looking for a first opening-day win since Morgan Gibbs-White began his loan from Wolves with the only goal at Preston in 2020-21.

That was one of five Swansea away successes in nine seasons, a run which also included triumphs at Sheffield United, Burnley, Queens Park Rangers and – most memorably – Manchester United, when Ki Sung-Yueng (pictured above) and Gylfi Sigurdsson struck either side of a goal from Wayne Rooney.

Can Swansea begin the 2026-27 campaign with another triumph on their travels?

Certainly, they will head to Stoke knowing nothing will come easy in the Potteries.

Swansea have won only once in 15 visits to the Bet365 Stadium since a goal from Kristian O'Leary – who is now part of the Welsh club's coaching staff - secured a 2-1 away success in 2001.

The one Swansea victory since then came in 2020-21, when Andre Ayew's contentious late penalty gave Steve Cooper's side all three points.

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Swansea City have announced a partnership with data specialists Jamestown Analytics which they say will strengthen the club's work in the transfer market.

Jamestown Analytics is owned by Tony Bloom (pictured above), the owner of Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion – who have been lauded for their recruitment work in recent years - and a part-owner of Scottish side Heart of Midlothian.

The company has also worked with the likes of Como and Union Saint Gilloise, with Swansea claiming their new agreement will see them given "access to world-leading, industry-renowned expertise" which will increase efficiency in their "player trading model".

Swansea have not revealed the financial details of the Jamestown Analytics deal.

"This partnership is a real coup for the club," chief executive Tom Gorringe told Swansea's website.

"Jamestown are widely regarded as leaders in data-led player recruitment, and we have seen the success that many of their partner clubs have achieved over recent times. Jamestown only works with an exclusive list of clubs and we are honoured to now join that group."

Swansea appointed Ben Stevens as their new sporting director last week.

On Monday, they announced that Jay Lefevre had been promoted to a head of recruitment role under Stevens, having joined Swansea from Celtic in December 2025 as chief scout.

The EFL will reveal its fixture list for the 2026-27 season on Thursday.

Want to know who your team will face on opening day? The fixtures will be announced at 12:00 BST - but that is not all.

The draws for the group stage of the Vertu Trophy and the first round of the Carabao Cup will also take place.

So check back on 25 June to see who your team faces first, last and everything in between.

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Marko Stamenic became the third Swansea City player to feature in this summer's World Cup finals, playing almost the entirety of New Zealand's 2-2 Group G draw with Iran in Los Angeles.

The 24-year-old midfielder was in the starting line-up for the All White's first World Cup appearance in 16 years, playing 92 minutes before being replaced by Nottingham Forest's Tyler Bindon in stoppage time.

Stamenic, who was winning his 39th cap, made 57 passes with an accuracy rate of 87%. He made one successful tackle, conceded two fouls and had one shot off target.

He is one of three players of Pacific Island heritage in the New Zealand squad - he has a Samoan mother - and before the tournament said he would be thinking of his father who died suddenly last October.

"I'm always thinking of him when I step on the field, whether that's for the national team or for Swansea," Stamenic told BBC Sport Wales.

New Zealand, who also featured Wrexham's Liberato Cacace, next face Egypt in Vancouver on Monday, 22 June (02:00 BST).

Swans' defender Cameron Burgess helped Australia begin their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Turkey in Vancouver on Sunday - with the Socceroos next in Group D action against co-hosts United States in Seattle on Friday, 19 June (20:00 BST).

Winger Eom Jisung made his World Cup debut as a substitute in South Korea's 2-1 Group A victory over Czech Republic in Guadalajara on Friday at the same stadium where they face co-hosts Mexico on Friday (02:00 BST).

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Swansea City's Cameron Burgess helped Australia begin their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Turkey in Vancouver.

The 30-year-old defender was one of three centre-backs as the Socceroos remained resolute to post a clean sheet despite Turkey dominating the game with 71.7% possession and 30 shots on goal, eight on target.

Watford's Nestory Irankunda scored in the first half before Connor Metcalfe added a second after the break.

Scotland-born Burgess, who played the full 90 minutes, was winning his 28th Australia cap after a season in which he played 51 all-competition games for Swansea.

The Socceroos' next game in Group D is against co-hosts United States in Seattle on Friday, 19 June (20:00 BST).

Burgess is the second Swansea player to appear at this summer's tournament after winger Eom Jisung made his World Cup debut as a substitute in South Korea's 2-1 Group A victory over Czech Republic in Guadalajara on Friday.

Swans midfielder Marko Stamenic is in line to play for New Zealand when they face Iran in Group G on Tuesday, 16 June (02:00 BST), having started the warm-up friendly defeat against England.

BBC Wales football reporters Ian Hunt and Gareth Vincent pay tribute to former Swansea City boss Kenny Jackett following his death at the age of 64.

The former Wales international took charge of the Swans in 2004.

He led the club to promotion to League One and Football League Trophy success - and came within a penalty shootout of reaching the Championship - during his near three-year spell in charge.

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Swansea City's Eom Jisung made his World Cup debut in South Korea's 2-1 Group A victory over Czech Republic in Guadalajara.

The 23-year-old winger was a 69th minute substitute for Lee Tae-Seok, coming on two minutes after the Koreans had equalised in the second game of this summer's tournament.

Oh Hyeon-Gyu scored the winner in the 80th minute.

South Korea next face Mexico - who who won their opening match 2-0 against South Africa - in Guadalajara Stadium on Friday (02:00 BST).

Eom, who has made 88 appearances in two seasons at Swansea, is one of three players from the Welsh club at this summer's finals co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and USA.

Centre-back Cameron Burgess is included in the Australia squad who open their Group D campaign against Turkey on Sunday, 14 June (05:00 BST).

And midfielder Marko Stamenic is in line to play for New Zealand when they face Iran in Group G on Tuesday, 16 June (02:00 BST), having started the warm-up friendly defeat against England.