There were shocks for some of the division's big sides, while the newly promoted clubs saw a mixed bag of results as England welcomed back club football with open arms.
Last season's play-off final losers, Sheffield United, got off to the worst possible start this time around, losing to Bristol City 4-1 at Bramall Lane.
Likewise, recently relegated Ipswich were held to a draw against promotion hopefuls Birmingham, and Frank Lampard's Coventry could only manage a 0-0 draw against Hull.
It wouldn't have been a Championship weekend without late drama, though, and we got that in abundance as Southampton scored two injury-time goals to defeat Wrexham 2-1.
United thrashed by Bristol City
Sheffield United were perhaps a VAR call away from being in the Premier League three months ago, and despite losing some key players since then, are still expected to be among the sides challenging for promotion this time around.
There has also been a major change off the pitch with fan favourite manager Chris Wilder sacked and replaced by highly-rated but slightly unproven Ruben Selles.
Those expectations were dealt a blow on the opening day, though, with the Blades being thrashed 4-1 at home to Bristol City - the same team they comfortably dispatched 6-0 over two legs in the play-off semi-finals just a few months ago.
The Robins opened the scoring inside just five minutes with Scott Twine netting a fantastic free-kick and, despite an initial equaliser from Tyrese Campbell, went on to net another three goals through Ross McCrorie, Anis Mehmeti and Twine once again.
An opening day defeat wouldn't have been too much of a shock given United's key departures and lack of major incomings, but the manner of the loss raises plenty of concerns.
The Blades' hierarchy will now need to get a move on in the transfer market if they are to avoid being left behind by the three relegated Premier League clubs.
For Bristol City, the win marks significant progress from where they ended last season and will be a welcome boost for new manager Gerhard Struber, with the Robins once again hoping to establish themselves as dark horses for a top-six finish.
Saints deliver a Hollywood ending
Southampton were handed the predictable yet tricky 'relegated side faces promoted club' opening day fixture against Wrexham.
The Saints were statistically one of the worst Premier League sides in history last season, but are undoubted favourites for promotion this time around due to their impressive second-tier squad.
Will Still has an array of firepower to call upon up front, including the likes of Adam Armstrong, Cameron Archer, Ross Stewart, Ben Brereton Diaz and new signing Damion Downs.
It's ironic, therefore, that two veteran defenders got them out of trouble in an opening-day victory over Wrexham.
With the Saints 1-0 down in the 90th minute following Josh Windass' first-half penalty, left-back Ryan Manning stepped up with an incredible free-kick to level proceedings.
The goal gave Southampton some fresh impetus to go for the kill, and they did just that with centre back Jack Stephens popping up unmarked in the box to fire home off the crossbar - sealing a dramatic 96th-minute win.
That type of ending is like something from a movie script and would've been the last thing newly-promoted Wrexham wanted to see.
Owned by a group fronted by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Red Dragons have had three consecutive promotions in the last three years.
While not expected to make it four from four, Wrexham are considered good enough to comfortably finish mid-table, although the opening day defeat will be something they try to move past quickly.
Bannan sees red for Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday have faced a torrid summer and transfer window, with owner Dejphon Chansiri guiding the club to relegation favourites before a ball was kicked.
The Owls have had players and staff paid late, several transfer embargos, manager Danny Rohl departed, and even some players handed in their notice and left for nothing.
Their plight is incredibly sad to see, although it is admirable that the squad put in a battling performance against Leicester City on Sunday.
Wednesday took the lead against the Foxes through Nathaniel Chalobah, but were pegged back by Jannik Vestergaard before Wout Faes netted a late winner for Leicester.
The major talking point came when club legend Barry Bannan was shown a second yellow card for a seemingly fair challenge just 10 minutes before the winning goal.
An unfortunate decision like that seemed to sum up Wednesday's disastrous summer so far, and it seems like things will only get worse for the Owls - unless the owner finally finds someone to sell the club to.
Manning's superb strike
Manning's superb free-kick was mentioned earlier, and the Irishman's strike was enough to earn our Goal of the Week.
The defender stepped up in the dying embers of Southampton's match to turn the tide for his side, curling a brilliant effort into the top corner.
Manning's strike would prove a pivotal turning point for the Saints, who went on to clinch all three points on the opening day.
Twine excels for the Robins
Our first Player of the Week for the 2025/26 Championship season is Bristol City forward Twine, who netted twice in their win over Sheffield United.
The Englishman first opened the scoring with a great free-kick before grabbing the final goal of the match early in the second half - earning a 9.8 Flashscore player rating.
Twine has scored 16 free-kicks since 2019, the best record in the EFL by some distance.
Take a look at our full Team of the Week:
Full results:
Sheffield United 1-4 Bristol City
Leicester 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
