Hull City beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley, sealing the espionage scandal that helped secure promotion.
Published on May 23, 2026
Hull City won promotion to the English Premier League after beating Middlesbrough 1-0 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium in London.
Oli McBurnie’s stoppage-time goal sealed victory on Saturday, avoiding any controversy over Boro’s participation in the final following the Spy Gate scandal.
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Hull’s original opponents in the final were Southampton excluded from the procedure after being found guilty of spying on Boro’s training ahead of the semi-final clash.
It was assumed that Hull would take matters further if they had not progressed and believed the game should have been automatically handed to them rather than reinstating Boro.
The final, played in sweltering heat, was nearing extra time when McBurnie pounced to fire a loose ball into the goal in the 95th minute following a mistake by Boro keeper Sol Brynn.
Hull will return to the top flight for the first time since relegation in 2017 and reap the rewards of what is said to be the most lucrative game in world football due to the benefits of joining the Premier League.
As the richest league in the world, the Championship’s promoted team will receive £200 million ($268 million) in additional revenue.
The penalty for Southampton will be four points next season after the admission Multiple violations of regulations is linked to the “unauthorized filming of other clubs’ training sessions,” an EFL statement said.
