West Ham face Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup today, their first competitive match since being relegated from the Premier League.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo will be eager to get the Hammers’ season off to a flying start on home soil before their Championship promotion push begins with a tough trip to Burnley’s Turf Moor next weekend.
West Ham - who suffered the heartbreak of top-flight demotion on the final day last term - have endured something of a mixed summer so far, with slow progress on the transfer front having signed only free agent Joel Veltman and converted young winger Keiber Lamadrid’s loan stint into a permanent deal amid the big-money sales of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville.
However, retaining the services of influential captain Jarrod Bowen is a huge boost to their hopes of bouncing back at the first opportunity.
Results on the pitch have not exactly been sparkling, with three draws in four friendlies against Southend, Rangers and FC Magdeburg, though they did put five goals past third-tier Stevenage and went unbeaten during pre-season.
They will meet Portsmouth twice in the league in the coming months, though first lock horns in the first round of the Carabao Cup, which this year is taking place on the weekend before the start of the EFL campaign in order to try and ease fixture congestion.
John Mousinho’s Pompey finished 18th in their second season back in the Championship last term, eight points above the relegation zone after winning 14 of their 46 matches overall.
They have made six new additions so far this summer in Odin Bailey, Rocco Shein, Eoin Kenny, Marko Milovanovic, Daniel Bielica and Luke Brooke-Smith, beginning their league campaign at home to QPR.
How to watch West Ham vs Portsmouth
TV channel: Every match from the first round of the 2026/27 Carabao Cup is being televised live in the UK, with West Ham vs Portsmouth being shown on Sky Sports+. Kick-off is at 3pm BST at the London Stadium.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the game live online via the Sky Go app.
