All you need to know as Hull City are promoted to Premier League

With Hull City securing a return to the Premier League via a famous win at Wembley, Ben McAleer looks at how the Tigers earned their promotion and chronicles the club's recent history.

2025/26 promotion

Oli McBurnie was the difference-maker as Hull City beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the playoff final at Wembley to secure their place in the Premier League for the 2026/27 season.

The Scotland international scored 17 times during the regular Championship season and added a crucial 18th to his tally in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time to send the Tigers back into top flight.

Watch: McBurnie's stoppage-time winner

Yu Hirakawa’s cross was palmed away by Sol Brynn for McBurnie to tap into an empty net. Middlesbrough huffed and puffed to take the tie to extra time but Hull held on to secure promotion to the Premier League.

Hull became the third and final team to be promoted to the Premier League, after Coventry City and Ipswich Town went up as champions and runners-up respectively.

After beating the drop on goal difference in 2024/25, few expected Hull to challenge for promotion, let alone secure a Premier League return. The appointment of manager Sergej Jakirovic may have been a left-field one, but it’s one that paid off handsomely.

Initially, the Bosnian endured a testing start at the MKM Stadium. Indeed, Hull won only one of their open five matches - a late 3-2 home win over Oxford United - and two of their opening eight under Jakirovic.

A 1-0 win over Sheffield United in early October really got Hull’s playoff push up and running. The Tigers saw out 2025 with 10 wins from 16. They started 2026 with defeat to Stoke City, yet recovered to claim four successive league victories.

Admittedly, the form from February until the end of the season didn’t make for great reading as Jakirovic oversaw just five wins, though victories over playoff rivals Derby County, Wrexham and Norwich City in that run highlighted their promotion capabilities when the going got tough.

And having played out a 0-0 draw with Millwall in the first leg of the semi-final clash, Hull claimed a 2-0 win over the Lions at The Den before enjoying a third Championship playoff final success with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.

Impressively still, despite Hull’s sixth-placed finish, their Expected Goals (xG) data had them 23rd in the table with just 53 points, according to Opta Analyst.

The Tigers' goal difference was +4; their "expected" goal difference, based on the quality of chances they had and faced, was -19.5. They will hope to maintain that stat-busting knack in the Premier League.

Hull City fact file

Premier League seasons: Five
Highest Premier League finish: 16th (2013/14)
Honours: Championship Playoff winners (2007/08, 2015/16, 2025/26), Third Division North (1932/33, 1948/49), Third Division (1965/66), League One (2020/21)
Most Premier League appearances: Ahmed Elmohamady (109)
Most Premier League goals: Nikica Jelavic (13)

Meet the manager – Sergej Jakirovic

Jakirovic (below) took over the Hull reins last summer, and worked wonders to turn them from relegation contenders to playoff winners.

The Bosnian arrived from Kayserispor having secured the Turkish side’s Super Lig safety during his six-month spell in charge.

The 49-year-old enjoyed a journeyman playing career, which included spells in Slovakia, Slovenia and Bulgaria, before landing his first managerial job with Croatian side Sesvete in 2017.

From there, Jakirovic moved to Gorica in 2018, and took on spells with Maribor Zrinjski Mostar, Rijeka, and Dinamo Zagreb before his 2025 Kayserispor appointment.

Premier League history

Promotion at Boro’s expense means Hull will play in a Premier League season for just the sixth time in their history.

First promoted for the 2008/09 season, Hull did well to beat the drop as they finished 17th.

Midfielder Geovanni, who signed from Manchester City in 2008, established himself as a cult hero for Hull, and scored their first ever Premier League goal in a 2-1 win over Fulham.

The Brazilian was instrumental as they successfully consolidated their top-flight spot.

That same season, Phil Brown delivered his famous on-pitch team talk as his Hull side endured a first-half mauling at City, going in at the break 4-0 down.

It ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit - Hull fell to a 5-1 loss - but remains an iconic Premier League moment nonetheless.

However, they couldn’t repeat the feat a second time around as they finished the 2009/10 campaign 19th. Brown remained in charge until that same summer, while Geovanni departed for San Jose Earthquakes, with Nigel Pearson brought in to manage the Yorkshire side.

Former Hull playmaker Geovanni

Hull spent just three years out of the top flight and returned to the Premier League for the 2013/14 season.

Again, they beat the drop, finishing 16th, and came close to springing an upset in the 2014 FA Cup final, as they went two goals up against Arsenal through James Chester and Curtis Davies with Steve Bruce at the helm.

They couldn’t hold out for a first major piece of silverware in their history, though, as goals from Santi Cazorla, Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey saw the Gunners claim a 3-2 victory.

The following season, Hull succumbed to relegation, going down after an 18th-placed finish.

The Tigers were back in the Premier League for the 2016/17 season, only to make an immediate return to the Championship.

And having bounced around the EFL for eight seasons, Hull are back in the big time.