West Ham welcome Charlton to the London Stadium on 22 August 2026 in what feels like one of those fixtures where the occasion is half the story. It's West Ham's first home league game outside the top flight since 2011 and the atmosphere around a ground that hasn't hosted Championship football in fifteen years adds something the scoreline alone won't capture. Charlton arrive sixth after their opening game, though sixth in the Championship after one match is about as meaningful as a weather forecast for next spring.
There's no head to head history between Nuno Espírito Santo and Nathan Jones, so neither manager arrives with any particular hold over the other. Nuno took the West Ham job in late September 2025, replacing Graham Potter and has been building a structured, counter attack oriented side since. Jones has been at Charlton since February 2024 and has them playing direct, purposeful football, which is usually the sensible approach in this division.
West Ham's season opened with a 2-2 draw against Burnley on 16 August, having beaten Portsmouth 3-1 in the League Cup earlier that month, so they sit tenth on one point after one league game. Charlton's start has been sharper: a 2-1 win over Derby on 15 August backed by a 3-1 League Cup win over Cheltenham means they've won both games so far across competitions.
Both squads arrive fully fit with no injuries or suspensions on either side, which at least means both managers can name the side they actually want. Charlton will look to stay narrow and hit West Ham from dead balls. Jones's side will go long early, so whoever mops up the knock downs in and around the West Ham midfield sets the tempo for the first half. If West Ham weather that opening spell and find the net, Charlton will have to open up and that's where this game can get away from them. The 4-0 scoreline might look ambitious but it reflects where this could realistically land by the final whistle.
The last league meeting between the two sides was February 2007, when Charlton won 4-0 and took four of the six encounters in that run, though a nineteen year gap makes those numbers close to meaningless. West Ham 4-0 Charlton.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
