🚨 BREAKING: West Ham Set for Historic Championship Homecoming as Charlton Clash Marks First Return Since 2012!

West Ham United will welcome Charlton Athletic to the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the two sides meet in the second round of the 2026/27 EFL Championship campaign, with a sell-out crowd of 62,500 expected.

 

The new Championship season got underway last weekend, with Charlton making an impressive start. Nathan Jones’ side came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Derby County, while West Ham were held to a 2-2 draw by Burnley after surrendering a two-goal advantage.

 

Debutant Manor Solomon opened his account for the Hammers in that encounter, but a late brace from Zian Flemming denied West Ham all three points.

 

Since then, the East London club have continued to strengthen their squad. Arne Engels has arrived from Celtic in a Championship-record transfer, while Leeds United striker Joël Piroe has joined on loan until the end of the season. Manchester City youngster Divine Mukasa is also expected to arrive on loan, further increasing the options available to Nuno Espírito Santo.

 

Charlton have also added to their squad following their opening-day triumph, with goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo joining on loan from Wrexham.

 

Saturday’s fixture will be the first meeting between the clubs since September 2020, when West Ham cruised to a 3-0 Carabao Cup victory. Sébastien Haller scored twice on that occasion, while Felipe Anderson completed the scoring.

 

The sides have not faced each other in a league fixture for 19 years. Their most recent league meeting came in February 2007, when Charlton produced a memorable 4-0 victory over West Ham at The Valley in the Premier League.

 

Ahead of Saturday’s game, West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo confirmed that both Engels and Piroe will be available for selection.

 

However, the Hammers could be without Pablo Felipe, who was withdrawn at half-time against Burnley with a reported calf problem. Tomáš Souček will also miss the match as he continues his recovery from the serious injury he suffered at the World Cup.

 

“We have some problems with injuries. Players who are not going to be available. It’s about assessing them day by day. We have one more day, then we’re going to make the squad list,” Nuno told reporters during Thursday’s pre-match press conference.

 

Charlton manager Nathan Jones, meanwhile, suggested that summer signing Timothy Ouma could feature after the midfielder came through an appearance for the club’s Under-21 side.

 

“Ouma was fine the other day in the U21s. The intensity of a Championship fixture and an U21s fixture are vastly different; he has hardly trained, and he had visa issues early on,” Jones explained.

 

He added that the visa delay prevented Ouma from returning from Kenya in time for much of pre-season, meaning the club are gradually building up his fitness.

 

Jones also acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing his team, describing West Ham as essentially a Premier League-level outfit despite their relegation.

 

“It’s a wonderful game to test ourselves against a Premier League club really. I know they came down, but everything about them is Premier League,” Jones said.

 

“The stadium, the crowd, the finances — they have managed to keep the majority of their players and add, so arguably they are as strong as they were last year. It’s a tough fixture.”

 

With West Ham aiming to secure their first Championship victory of the season and Charlton looking to build on their impressive opening-day result, Saturday’s London Stadium clash promises to be a fascinating encounter.