How to watch today's Birmingham vs Ipswich Championship game: Live stream, TV channel, and start time

The new Championship season kicks off under the lights on Friday night, with Birmingham City playing host to Ipswich Town in a mouth-watering opener at St Andrew’s.

Fresh off a record-smashing campaign in League One, Birmingham return to the second tier brimming with momentum. Chris Davies guided the Blues to a whopping 111 points last season, and with an aggressive recruitment drive over the summer, they're widely tipped as the strongest promoted side since Ipswich’s own rise two years ago. However, the big question is how Davies' possession-focused philosophy will hold up under the increased pressure of Championship football.  

As for Ipswich, they come into the new campaign licking their wounds after a brief Premier League stint. Despite that setback, Kieran McKenna's men remain well-equipped for another promotion push. While the departure of attacking spark Liam Delap is a blow, the arrival of Dutch midfield general Azor Matusiwa adds both pedigree and bite in the middle of the park, a signing that signals serious intent.

The championship clash between Birmingham and Ipswich is set to be a riveting affair. For fans keen to enhance their involvement, registering with 1xBet using the promo code offers a fantastic platform to bet on game outcomes, creating an interactive and potentially rewarding experience alongside the live stream.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.

How to watch Birmingham vs Ipswich online - TV channels & live streams

The EFL Championship match between Birmingham and Ipswich will be broadcast live on the Sky Sports network in the United Kingdom (UK).

The match will be shown live on Paramount+, Fubo, DirecTV Stream and CBS Sports Networkin the US. 

Live updates can be found here on GOAL.

How to watch anywhere with VPN

If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sport.

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Birmingham vs Ipswich kick-off time

Championship - Championship

St Andrew's Knighthead Park

The match will be played at the St Andrew's Knighthead Park in Birmingham on Friday, August 8, with kick-off at 3:00 pm ET/12:00 pm PT/ 8:00 pm BST.

Team news & squads

Birmingham vs Ipswich lineups

Birmingham

4-2-3-1

Formation

4-4-1-1

IPS

21

R. Allsop

20

A. Cochrane

5

P. Neumann

4

C. Klarer

26

B. Osayi-Samuel

14

K. Anderson

24

T. Iwata

28

J. Stansfield

8

S. Paik

10

D. Gray

9

K. Furuhashi

31

A. Palmer

24

J. Greaves

26

D. O'Shea

3

L. Davis

18

B. Johnson

21

C. Ogbene

14

J. Taylor

5

A. Matusiwa

47

J. Clarke

23

S. Szmodics

9

G. Hirst

4-4-1-1

IPS

BIR

-Line up

• 21

  R. Allsop

• 20

  A. Cochrane

• 5

  P. Neumann

• 4

  C. Klarer

• 26

  B. Osayi-Samuel

  19’

• 14

  K. Anderson

  89’

• 24

  T. Iwata

• 28

  J. Stansfield

  55’

  83’

• 8

  S. Paik

  71’

• 10

  D. Gray

  83’

• 9

  K. Furuhashi

  77’

Substitutes

• 18

  W. Willumsson

• 41

  E. Cashin

• 7

  T. Doyle

  77’

• 12

  M. Leonard

• 6

  K. Bielik

• 25

  J. Beadle

• 19

  T. Gardner-Hickman

  89’

• 17

  L. Dykes

  83’

• 2

  E. Laird

  83’

Manager

• C. Davies

IPS

-Line up

• 31

  A. Palmer

• 24

  J. Greaves

• 26

  D. O'Shea

• 3

  L. Davis

• 18

  B. Johnson

  68’

• 21

  C. Ogbene

  68’

• 14

  J. Taylor

  19’

• 5

  A. Matusiwa

  44’

  85’

• 47

  J. Clarke

  79’

• 23

  S. Szmodics

  68’

• 9

  G. Hirst

  90’ + 5’

Substitutes

• 33

  N. Broadhead

  68’

• 28

  C. Walton

• 10

  C. Chaplin

  68’

  90’ + 6’

• 6

  L. Woolfenden

• 35

  F. Barbrook

• 30

  C. Humphreys

  85’

• 15

  A. Young

  68’

• 4

  C. Kipre

• 16

  A. Al Hamadi

  79’

Manager

• K. McKenna

Birmingham team news

Birmingham boss Chris Davies could hand first outings to several fresh faces, including shot-stopper James Beadle, dynamic full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Japanese frontman Kyogo Furahashi. In defence, with Eiran Cashin, Christoph Klarer, and Phil Neumann all pushing for places, the manager faces a welcome selection headache.

Injury concerns persist, though. Tyler Roberts and Kanya Fujimoto are ruled out of the curtain-raiser, while Conor Townsend and Jaden Philogene remain touch-and-go after knocks in their final preseason outing.

Ipswich team news

 Ipswich, too, have fitness worries — key left-back Leif Davis sat out the last friendly, and Harry Clarke is sidelined long-term with a knee issue. These gaps could open the door for veteran Ashley Young, who may get the nod for his debut at left-back at the age of 40.

Form

Head-to-Head Record

BIR

Last 5 matches

IPS

1

Win

3

Draws

1

Win

• Ipswich

  3

  -

  1

  Birmingham

• Birmingham

  2

  -

  2

  Ipswich

• Ipswich

  1

  -

  1

  Birmingham

• Birmingham

  2

  -

  2

  Ipswich

• Birmingham

  1

  -

  0

  Ipswich

7

Goals scored

8

Games over 2.5 goals

3/5

Both teams scored

4/5

Standings

Useful links

• Latest betting updates
• EFL Championship news
• Ipswich team page
• Birmingham team page
• Soccer on TV in the US
• How to watch and live stream soccer