MK Dons to start League One return with away match against Oxford

MK Dons will begin the 2026/27 League One season by visiting Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium.

The Dons’ return to League One for the first time since their 2023 relegation will see them make the trip to Oxford on Saturday August 15th, in a match that will be a 12:30pm kick-off and broadcast live on Sky Sports.

The visit will see the Dons face a side who were two divisions above them last season, with the Dons’ first game after winning promotion from League Two seeing them take on a side relegated from last season’s Championship. The match will see Oxford make their competitive debut under new boss Aaron Ramsey, in the former Arsenal and Welsh international midfielder’s first role in management.

MK Dons did face Oxford in a one-off meeting last season, with Oxford beating MK Dons on penalties at Stadium MK in last season’s FA Cup.

Paul Warne’s side will welcome Huddersfield Town to Stadium MK for their first home game of the season a week later, in the first of a pair of back-to-back home games as they will play Oxford’s fellow relegated outfit Leicester City the following weekend.

The Dons play a number of big games in the opening phase of the campaign, with the Dons also 2013 FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic, local rivals Wycombe Wanderers, nearby rivals Peterborough United and an away match against post-Wimbledon rivals AFC Wimbledon in the opening month of the season.

The Dons’ first meeting of the campaign with AFC Wimbledon is scheduled for September 19th, with their return fixture in Milton Keynes scheduled for April 17th.

One fixture of intrigue will be the Dons’ first meeting with nearby Luton Town since 2005, with the first contest due to take place in October and the return at Kenilworth Road in January.

For the fifth season in a row, MK Dons will have a home fixture on Boxing Day. That match will be against Leyton Orient, with the Dons visiting Stockport in their last pre-Christmas fixture a week earlier. That clash will them be followed by two away games, as the Dons will visit Plymouth in their last game of 2026 before a New Year’s Day match at Reading.

MK Dons’ Easter double header will see them welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Stadium MK on Good Friday, which this year is March 26th, with the Easter Monday part seeing them visit fellow new-boys Cambridge United.

As for the final weekend of the season, MK Dons will wrap up the campaign against Bradford City at Stadium MK on May 8th. Their final away day is against Notts County a week before.

The fixture list is subject to change pending TV selections and any weather-related postponements.

The announcement comes on part of a busy day of EFL-related announcements, with the Carabao Cup First Round draw and the EFL Trophy’s allocation of academy sides being made later today (25/06).