Hull City vs. Middlesbrough: Wembley's Richest Game Sees Hull Take on Middlesbrough in the Championship Play-off Final

Jakirovic’s Hull City Target Premier League Return Amid Spygate Disruption

After spending five years in the Premier League before their unfortunate relegation to the second division in 2017, Hull City are 90 minutes away from making their return to the top flight.

The Tigers secured the last promotion playoff spot in the EFL Championship, finishing sixth with 73 points. Few believed they would make it beyond Millwall in the semi-final playoffs, but they rose to the challenge superbly and won 2-0 on aggregate.

Hull City's record in the 2025-26 EFL Championship season:

• Matches played: 46
• Wins: 21
• Losses: 10
• Draws: 15
• Goals scored: 70
• Goals against: 66

A meeting with Southampton at Wembley in the final showpiece seemed destined at first, but because of the spygate drama their plans were thrown into disarray, leaving them as casualties of circumstance.

That shouldn't demotivate them from securing a positive outcome against Middlesbrough, given their convincing record in the play-off finals. Sergej Jakirovic's men are on the verge of securing a hat-trick of playoff triumphs. Find out what our experts have to say in our Hull City vs Middlesbrough prediction for more insights into the game. 

Their last appearance at Wembley was in 2016, where they beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0, courtesy of Mohamed Diame's strike in the 72nd minute. In 2008, they had the pleasure of defeating Bristol City by the same scoreline. 

Sergej Jakirovic's men have an edge over their opponents in this clash after claiming a narrow 1-0 win on the road on MD24 of the EFL Championship. That outcome put an end to a four-match winless run, including three consecutive losses. 

Now, the question is, can they make it back-to-back wins against this opponent for the first time since April 2022?

More on the EFL Championship 

Spygate 2.0 chaos hands Middlesbrough a controversial lifeline

For Middlesbrough, luck isn't just a trait; it's more of a middle name. The North Yorkshire outfit suffered defeat at the hands of Southampton in the EFL Championship play-off semi-final, losing 2-1 on aggregate. 

Initially, that outcome could have marked their third consecutive play-off semi-final defeat after shortcomings in 2018 and 2023, but their appeal for Southampton's expulsion from the competition dramatically altered the picture, keeping their Wembley dream alive. 

The expulsion was justified after they caught their opponents spying on their training session ahead of the play-off semi-finals. This operation was authorised by the club's head coach, Tonda Eckert.

With that out of the picture, Boro will have their minds fully set on the play-off final ahead of them. The last time they were in the playoffs was in 2018, but they were beaten 1-0 on aggregate by Aston Villa in the semi-final. After that, a nine-year absence from the top flight followed.

Their opponents are Hull City, a side they've dominated over the past few years. While their recent meeting against this opponent didn't go as planned, suffering a 1-0 defeat in the EFL Championship, it's worth noting that this was their first loss in five meetings.

Check out Middlesbrough's last five meetings against Hull City:

In fact, they have the upper hand against this opponent in overall head-to-head meetings, winning 27 of their last 58 matches (D14, L17). During this period, they've scored 98 goals and conceded 75 in return.

Check out our Hull City vs Middlesbrough prediction