Hull City's Lewie Coyle and teammates celebrate with the trophy after winning the Championship Playoff final against Middlesbrough. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Oli McBurnie’s stoppage-time goal sent Hull City back to the Premier League with a 1-0 victory ​over Middlesbrough in the Championship Playoff final at Wembley on Saturday.

A match ‌played in searing heat was drifting towards extra time ​when McBurnie pounced in the 95th minute to ⁠stab home a loose ball after a fumble by Boro keeper Sol Brynn.

It was McBurnie’s 18th league goal of the season and by far ‌the most important, with Hull now to reap the massive financial benefits that come with being part of ‌the Premier League.

Even a single season in England’s top ‌tier, ⁠followed by immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth ⁠around 200 million pounds (USD 268.10 million) over three seasons through broadcast revenue, sponsorship and parachute payments.

The so-called richest match in world football was overshadowed all week by ​the ‘Spygate’ saga, which saw Southampton ‌kicked out for spying on a Middlesbrough training session.

Southampton had beaten Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate, but the English Football League removed it from the final and replaced it with Boro ‌after a hearing on Tuesday.

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Hull City, which scrambled into ​the playoffs after finishing sixth in the regular season, last played in the Premier League in 2016-17.

It has since been down to the third tier, and this time last year almost dropped out of the Championship again, surviving on ‌goal difference.

It is the third time Hull has gone up via the playoffs.

The soaring temperatures at Wembley affected the final, with chances for both sides few and far between.

Middlesbrough dominated possession but did little with it, and it was McBurnie who was closest to breaking the deadlock with a header against the crossbar ‌just before halftime.

Kim Hellberg’s Boro, which was in the automatic promotion spots ​for much of the season before falling away, failed to have a shot on target. Sontje Hansen’s effort, ⁠which forced a great save from Hull’s Ivor Pandur, would have ⁠been ruled offside.

Hull was more clinical, as it has been all season. With players going down with cramp, Yu ‌Hirakawa burst down the left and his cross was pushed out by Brynn to McBurnie, who slotted home to send ​the joyous Tigers fans into raptures.

Published on May 23, 2026