- West Ham will be in the Championship for the first time in 15 years
- Huge rival waiting for them in the second tier
- Three London derbies next season
For so long now, when the fixtures for upcoming seasons have been announced, West Ham United fans would scour the list to see when they would be playing their rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
Other London-based teams would have been searched for, too. Whether that be Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, or even Brentford.
But now that’s all changed following the Hammers’ relegation from the Premier League to the Championship. The London Stadium faithful will have to reacquaint themselves with one or two old foes as they prepare for life in the second tier of English football.
Here are West Ham’s London derbies for next season.
Millwall
The game that Irons’ fans will be eagerly anticipating more than any other in the championship.
It’s a fixture that has an incredibly storied history, with the sides meeting for the first time all the way back in 1899, under the names of Millwall Athletic and Thames Ironworks in the FA Cup. It became known as the Dockers Derby as both players and fans alike often found employment on the shipyards by the famous River Thames.
In recent times, it has been a game that has been closely associated with hooliganism; one of the more notable examples of this was the 2009 Upton Park riots. When the Hammers beat Millwall 3-1in the League Cup, the game was marred by clashes outside the ground, resulting in 20 injuries. Even leading to fear that footballing hooliganism was set to return.
But both sides, namely Millwall, have worked extensively to rid themselves of the negative connotations associated with them.
The Lions are coming off the back of what was their best season in the generation, as they finished third in the Championship, and lost narrowly to eventual play-off winners Hull City in the semi-finals.
Coached by Scotsman Alex Neil, Millwall will be looking to replicate, or even better, last season’s outstanding performance, and one way they can go about doing just that will be by bloodying the nose of arch rivals, West Ham.
It certainly will be exciting to see a new chapter written in the storied rivalry between the two sides.
Last meeting: West Ham 2-1 Millwall, 4 February, 2012.
QPR
While not quite at the same level of intensity as the Millwall game, QPR vs West Ham in the second tier is a fixture between two sides who will almost certainly feel they should be competing at a higher level.
The two London sides are on opposite sides of the capital. With the Hammers in the East and QPR in the West.
So, while not the hottest of fixtures, the two meeting again in the Championship may be the spark required to take this game to another level.
The 2025/26 season was one that QPR have become all too familiar with. One that had sprinkles of promise, but ultimately delivered very little as the R’s settled for 15th place. They’re coached by Frenchman Julien Stéphan and will be looking to threaten the play-off places.
Last meeting: West Ham 2-1 QPR, 11 January, 2026.
Charlton Athletic
Perhaps a London derby based more on hospitality rather than hostility. In the early 90s, while their new stadium, now known as the Valley, was under construction, Charlton Athletic used West Ham’s Upton Park nearly 40 times.
Additionally, two important figures in either club’s history have managed both sides. First Charlton manager Alan Curbishley, who spent 15 years with the Addicks, got them promoted to the Premier League on two occasions. Following that, Curbishley moved to West Ham, where he and Carlos Tevez kept the club in the top flight.
Next, Alan Pardew, who, after guiding the Hammers to the Premier League, was eventually sacked, where did he go next? Charlton, of course.
Now coached by Welshman Nathan Jones, the South-East London club spent almost the entirety of last season hovering a few places above the relegation zone, which, these days, is about par for the club.
Last meeting: West Ham 3-0 Charlton Athletic, 25 September, 2020.
While not where West Ham want to be, the upcoming Championship season will offer the Hammers a chance to recommence old rivalries, and perhaps start some new ones, too.
