When Southampton FC will find out when they are playing Portsmouth | OneFootball

The South Coast Derby is set to return to the Championship next season

As the 2024/25 season wound down, many Portsmouth fans were hoping that they'd remain in the Championship, not only for the fact that they'd avoid relegation, but also for the opportunity to play their bitter rivals, Southampton.

The two sides have been on opposite trajectories since they last played each other in league action in the 2011/12 season, where Southampton secured Premier League promotion whilst Portsmouth were relegated to League One.

Southampton have enjoyed European nights, and Portsmouth have been in the depths of League Two, but the two now find themselves back where they were 13 years ago, ready to face off in the Championship.

Now, as pre-season preparation is just around the corner, both sets of fans will have a keen eye on the EFL fixture release date, as they find out when the South Coast Derbies will take place in 2025/26.

When Southampton and Portsmouth find out they'll be facing each other this season

According to the EFL website, fixture release day takes place at the end of the month, specifically on Thursday, 26 June.

Therefore, it isn't long before the two sides find out when they'll be renewing their acquaintances.

The 2025/26 Championship season kicks off on the weekend of Friday, 8 August - Sunday, 10 August.

The second-tier season ends on the weekend of May 2/3, 2026.

Southampton and Portsmouth's head-to-head record

The vast majority of matches between Southampton and Portsmouth predate the millennium. Since then, the two sides have been in the same division for a maximum of two seasons at a time.

The two have faced off 71 times in "first-class" matches since their first meeting in 1900, where Portsmouth beat Southampton twice in the space of three days. The two faced off 43 times before 1927, and then there were no matches between the sides for 33 years due to Portsmouth being in a higher league than their rivals.

Fast-forward to the post-millennium era, and the two have met just 10 times, as the pendulum of momentum has swung both ways in the past 25 years.

During the 2000s, the two sides didn't face each other because Portsmouth were playing in the Premier League whilst the Saints competed in the Championship and League One. Then, in the 2010s, the opposite ran true, with Pompey even dropping to League Two for four seasons.

*Portsmouth incurred a 10-point deduction in 2011/12 due to administration

In those 10 meetings, Southampton have run out the victors five times. The two have drawn twice, with Portsmouth taking the win on three occasions. The Saints have also won the most in the fixture overall, winning 35 of the 71 meetings. Pompey have won 21, with the points being shared 15 times.

So, the groundwork has been laid for this rivalry, separated by just 20 miles, to continue this upcoming season. The two shared the points both times during the 2011/12 campaign, meaning that no one has won a league derby since 2005. Both sides will be eager to see when they can get one up on the other in 2025/26.