Hull City beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in Championship playoff final at Wembley to seal promotion easing spy-gate scandal.
Published On 23 May 2026
Hull City have been promoted to the English Premier League after beating Middlesbrough 1-0 in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium in London.
Oli McBurnie’s goal in stoppage time sealed the victory on Saturday, which averted any controversy over Boro’s participation in the final following the spy-gate scandal.
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Hull’s original opponents for the final, Southampton, were disqualified from the process after being found guilty of spying on Boro’s training ahead of their semifinal clash.
Hull were understood to be taking matters further should they not have progressed, believing the game should have been handed to them automatically, rather than Boro being reinstated.
The final, played in searing heat, was drifting towards extra time when McBurnie pounced to stab home a loose ball in the 95th minute after a fumble by Boro keeper Sol Brynn.
Hull will return to the top flight for the first time since they were relegated in 2017, and reap the reward of what is known as the most lucrative game in world football due to the rewards of joining in the Premier League.
As the world’s richest league, the promoted club from the Championship receives 200 million pounds ($268m) in extra income.
Southampton’s punishment is four points docked next season after admitting to multiple breaches of regulations related to the “unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training” sessions, according to an EFL statement.