United will travel to Orient for the first competitive fixture of the season, which will be the first of at least three meetings against the fellow League One side.

The game will take place on the weekend of Saturday, August 8, with full details, including timings and tickets, to be announced in due course, says the club.

It follows the launch of the League One fixtures earlier this week, where Oxford United will play MK Dons at home in the first game of the campaign.

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The U’s return to the third tier next season after suffering relegation from the Championship last term.

Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey was appointed as Oxford’s new head coach this week, replacing Bloomfield, who was sacked earlier this month.

Competitive action begins on the weekend of August 7 in the Carabao Cup, with the first-round draw set for Thursday evening.

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After two years in the second tier, the Yellows are looking to bounce back quickly under their new boss and will begin the new season at home against newly-promoted MK Dons on Saturday, August 15.

Oxford faced the Dons in the FA Cup third round last season when United were in the Championship, and their opponents were still in League Two, Oxford winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Stadium MK.

The opening-day clash has been selected for TV coverage on Sky Sports+ and will be an early kick-off at 12:30pm.

The Welshman was announced yesterday as the new permanent head coach of Oxford United following the sacking of Matt Bloomfield, while ex-Premier League midfielder Wilshere is currently in charge of Luton Town, also in League One.

The two have met in the dugout once before, on the last day of the 2024/25 Championship season, when Wilshere’s Norwich City beat Ramsey’s Cardiff City 4-2.

Both were in interim positions at the time, with Wilshere completing two competitive games in charge to Ramsey’s three.

Wilshere, who retired from football in 2022 at the age of 30, is now heading into his first full season with Luton.

After being hired to his permanent managerial job in October, he guided the club to seventh in League One, one point off the play-off spots.

Oxford United head coach Aaron Ramsey (Image: Oxford United)

He also won the Vertu Trophy after beating Stockport County 3-1 in the final.

Ramsey, who left boyhood club Cardiff in June 2025 after they finished bottom of the Championship, retired from professional football in April at the age of 35, and is now also in his first permanent role.

Asked at his inaugural U’s press conference if he had received any communication from Wilshere upon his appointment, Ramsey replied: “No, I’m still waiting for that message!

“No, Jack obviously is a great friend and teammate of mine back in the day, so it’ll be good and interesting to come up against him later on in the season.”

The two first played together as teenagers in September 2008, when they made their league debuts for Arsenal two minutes apart in a victory over Blackburn Rovers.

Oxford United CEO Tim Williams (left), head coach Aaron Ramsey (centre) and head of football operations Ed Waldron (right) (Image: Newsquest)

Their last game as teammates was defeat against Atletico Madrid in the 2017/18 Europa League semi-final.

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In the intervening decade, they made 101 appearances playing together, winning consecutive FA Cup finals in 2014 and 2015.

Both coaches had injury-hit playing careers, with Ramsey suffering a broken leg in 2010, as well as recurrent hamstring issues later on which saw him average just 11 full games per season in the seven seasons following departure from Arsenal in summer 2019.

Luton Town manager Jack Wilshere (Image: Ben Whitley/PA Wire)

Wilshere, meanwhile, suffered a series of ankle problems throughout his career, beginning with a stress fracture in a pre-season friendly in 2011, which eventually led to his early retirement.

The two men have shown early promise as coaches similar to their playing careers: Wilshere’s deliverance of silverware at Luton represents the club’s first trophy since winning League One in 2018/19.

Ramsey, meanwhile, has been tipped as a future Wales manager by current national head coach Craig Bellamy.

Ramsey was announced as the new head coach of Oxford on Tuesday evening and met the press for the first time the following morning after replacing Matt Bloomfield who was sacked at the weekend.

Interest in the former Gunners midfielder was first reported on Monday morning, exclusively by the Oxford Mail, with the appointment following soon after.

The job is Ramsey’s first permanent role as a head coach after a three-game stint at Cardiff City in 2025.

New Oxford United head coach Aaron Ramsey with CEO Tim Williams #oufc 🟡 pic.twitter.com/8bLfrADXDJ

— malachi (@MalachiObrey) June 24, 2026

However, the Watford Observer has revealed that former Bournemouth left back Charlie Daniels also held talks with the U’s over potentially taking charge in OX4.

Daniels is reportedly on the lookout for his first permanent senior role and was hopeful of having a shot at the Oxford top job.

Charlie Daniels (left) gestures on the touchline (Image: Steven Paston/PA Wire)

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The 39-year-old is on the hunt for a manager role in the EFL and has also apparently held talks with League One side Barnsley and League Two outfit Rotherham United.

He previously took charge of Watford Under-18s and Under-21s, before two matches as caretaker head coach of the first team at Hull City and Southampton.

The Hornets recently appointed a new boss in Italian coach Alessio Dionisi, formerly of Serie A side Empoli.

Daniels’ future at Vicarage Road is up in the air following the appointment.

The Englishman spent the majority of his playing career at AFC Bournemouth, playing 265 times for the Cherries and achieving promotion to the Premier League in an eight-year spell.