The goal was scored in the 95th minute of the final and sends the Tigers to the English first division
May 23, 2026
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12:45 pm ET
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1 min read
Hull City are back in the Premier League, the English first division, thanks to the late goal scored by Oliver McBurnie in the final against Middlesbrough at Wembley at the end of an eventful week, characterised by the “Spygate” scandal that disqualified Southampton and gave Middlesbrough a second chance in the playoffs.
The Tigers are back in the English top flight for the first time since the 2016-17 after going through some challenging years, also playing in the third division during the 2020-21 season.
Before the final, Hull City owner Acun Ilicali said they meant to take action in case Middlesbrough were going to win the final on Saturday, as reported by the BBC:
“Our legal team says that we have to go for action, that’s for sure. So we have no doubt about it. Here, all we want is justice. If justice is broken, nobody will enjoy football. If this action was so big that a team is out of the play-offs, why didn’t they let them not play the semifinal, investigate and take Southampton out and put Wrexham in? Why is Wrexham out now? Put Wrexham in and continue the competition. For me, an eliminated team [being] put back – also our lawyers say this and that’s their opinion too – is an incredibly wrong decision.”
Southampton have been kicked out of the playoff final and docked four points for the 2026-27 season after admitting to spying on three different opponents during the course of the season. An appeal was officially dismissed on Wednesday, days after they admitted that they had not only spied against playoff semifinal opponents Middlesbrough but also Ipswich Town and Oxford United during the season.
