Happy Friday and happy Championship opening day to all who celebrate! England’s second division begins a new season on Friday, essentially ushering in the start of the European club season and offering a new edition of the always intriguing promotion race.

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📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern
Friday, Aug. 8
🇪🇺 Friendly: Chelsea vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 2 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 EFL: Birmingham City vs. Ipswich Town, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
🇺🇸 NWSL: Houston Dash vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network

Saturday, Aug. 9
🏴🏴 EFL: Southampton vs. Wrexham. 7:30 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 EFL: Norwich City vs. Millwall. 10 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴 EFL: Stoke City vs. Derby County. 10 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇺 Friendly: Leeds vs. AC Milan, 10 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇪🇺 Friendly: Palermo vs. Man City, 3 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network

Sunday, Aug. 10
🇪🇺 Friendly: Borussia Dortmund vs. Juventus, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 Community Shield: Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool, 10 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🏴 EFL: Leicester vs. Sheffield Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 NWSL: Chicago Red Stars vs. Bay FC, 2 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+
🇺🇸 NWSL: Portland Thorns vs. Seattle Reign, 4 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+

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⚽ The Forward Line

🏴 Another Premier League promotion race begins

In the Championship, the race to the top is also a race for soccer’s most lucrative prize – a berth in next season’s edition of the Premier League, worth at least $295 million in prize money for the three lucky teams that earn promotion. This season’s edition of the promotion chase takes center stage as soon as the Championship season gets underway on Friday, with Birmingham City hosting second division newcomers Wrexham in a battle between contenders and pretenders.

Fresh off their third successive promotion and spotlighted by their Hollywood owners, many will be keeping an eye on Wrexham to see if they can add a fourth promotion in a row to their record and land in the Premier League in record time. How realistic that is, though, is a different question.

For additional insights, remember that Birmingham City are back in the Championship after one season in League One, and there’s reason to remain optimistic about their chances of competing for a place back in England’s top flight. As James Benge writes, Friday offers a first chance for them to showcase their ambition and the players who could potentially lead them back to the Premier League.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROMOTION RACE

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⚽ The American Contenders

This season, a group of American forwards is pointing towards a notable opportunity in the Championship, hoping to land a spot on the U.S. men’s national team for the World Cup on home soil next year. The American players to watch include Josh Sargent from Norwich City, Haji Wright from Coventry City, Damion Downs who recently joined Southampton, and Patrick Agyemang who has signed with Derby County.

It’s an exciting chance, but competition is fierce and opportunities limited. Currently, the USMNT is missing a sure starting No. 9 due to injuries to Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi. This has created space for the Championship’s American players to step up, especially given the inconsistency of those currently filling in.

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Stay tuned to CBS Sports for ongoing coverage of the EFL Championship and more soccer action.