Southampton has been removed from Saturday’s Championship playoff final against Hull City after the English Football League (EFL) found the club guilty of spying on opponents during the 2025-26 season.
Middlesbrough will now face Hull at Wembley, pending an appeal filed by Southampton.
The Championship final is an annual one-game playoff for the highly coveted final Premier League slot and is often called the “World’s Richest Game.” Coventry and Ipswich Town already punched their EPL tickets by finishing first and second in the EFL standings.
A slot in the Premier League could be worth as much as $300 million in future revenue from each team’s share of media and commercial revenue, plus parachute payments for clubs relegated from the Premier League and other revenue.
Southampton was relegated to the EFL after the 2024-25 season when it finished 20th in the Premier League. It earned £109 million ($146 million based on current exchange rates) from the league. The Premier League is on track to generate £4 billion in commercial revenue next season, according The Athletic, with roughly 80% going to teams. It likely means about $165 million for the club that finishes last.
