Hull City and Middlesbrough will compete for promotion to the English Premier League in a reconstituted Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
The match follows Southampton's sudden disqualification after an independent commission found that manager Tonda Eckert authorized clandestine filming of opponents.
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Middlesbrough, who lost their semifinal to Southampton, were reinstated into the promotion decider.
Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic expressed frustration over the logistical chaos and competitive uncertainty caused by the administrative upheaval.
"We can say everything is unfair in this last two weeks. You don't know what's going on," Jakirovic said.
The Tigers reached the final by defeating Millwall but will be without forward Kyle Joseph, who sustained an injury in the preceding match.
"We are collateral damage because we are waiting on [an] opponent and you don't know what's going on, what's happening," Jakirovic added.
Middlesbrough enter the final under manager Kim Hellberg, who took charge earlier in the season after predecessor Rob Edwards departed for a top-flight coaching role at Wolves.
Local politicians and former club staff welcomed the disciplinary action, framing the reinstatement as a rare competitive lifeline.
"It's a nonsense and they shouldn't be putting anybody through any more inconvenience because of their behaviour," said local MP Andy McDonald.
The ruling caused significant travel disruption for fans arranging short-notice trips to London, further complicated by scheduled railway engineering works.
"It really was the only decision the commission could come to, but that said, I was still worried that they wouldn't do it, so fair play to them," McDonald said.
