Two first legs. Two goalless draws. Four clubs with everything still to play for. The Championship playoff semifinals are perfectly poised heading into a week that could change the futures of Millwall, Hull City, Middlesbrough, and Southampton forever — with a place in the Premier League and a share of one of sport’s most lucrative prizes on the line.
Millwall had the better chances in the first leg away at Hull City on Friday, but neither side could find the breakthrough and the game finished 0-0. A fair result — and one that sets up what promises to be a ferocious second leg at The Den on Monday. Millwall’s home support is among the most intense in English football. Hull will need to be at their very best to survive it.
Saturday’s first leg at Middlesbrough told a different story in terms of territory and momentum, even if the scoreline was identical. Boro dominated the first half and battered Southampton into submission, only for the Saints to recover their composure, grow into the game, and go close twice late on. Southampton head into Tuesday’s second leg at St Mary’s without a goal conceded — and with 19 league games unbeaten behind them, they arrive in form that nobody is taking lightly.
There is also an extraordinary subplot hanging over that tie. Southampton have been charged by the English Football League over allegations of spying on Middlesbrough’s training sessions ahead of the first leg. The Saints say they are cooperating fully with the investigation. The EFL has indicated it expects an expedited process given the compressed playoff schedule. It adds a layer of tension to an already combustible second leg that needs absolutely no extra spice.
Full Schedule, Fixtures, Bracket and How to Watch
Semifinal First Legs — Results Friday, May 8 — Hull City 0-0 Millwall Saturday, May 9 — Middlesbrough 0-0 Southampton
Semifinal Second Legs Monday, May 11 — Millwall vs Hull City, 3pm ET Tuesday, May 12 — Southampton vs Middlesbrough, 3pm ET
Championship Playoff Final Saturday, May 23 — Wembley Stadium Hull City or Millwall vs Middlesbrough or Southampton Kick-off time TBC
In the United States, all Championship playoff matches are available to watch live on Paramount+. In the United Kingdom, coverage is on Sky Sports.
The Championship playoff final at Wembley on May 23rd is widely known as the richest single game in world sport — with promotion to the Premier League worth an estimated £200 million or more in broadcast revenue, prize money, and commercial uplift. For clubs like Millwall, who have never played in the Premier League, or Hull City, who were tipped for a relegation battle just months ago, the stakes are almost impossible to overstate.
How These Four Clubs Got Here
Coventry City and Ipswich Town wrapped up the top two spots and automatic promotion before the final week of the season, leaving the remaining playoff places to be decided on the last day. Ipswich’s victory on that final afternoon pushed Millwall and Middlesbrough out of the automatic promotion places and into the lottery of the playoffs — joining Southampton and Hull City in the four-team shootout for the final Premier League spot.
Southampton arrive as the form team. Nineteen league games without defeat is a run of consistency that demands respect, and the Saints are chasing an extraordinary achievement — winning the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. For a club that has bounced between the top two divisions in recent years, automatic promotion would have been the dream. A playoff win would be the next best thing.
Hull City’s presence in the semifinals is the story of the season. The Yorkshire club were widely expected to spend the campaign fighting relegation. Manager Sergej Jakirovic had other ideas. He built a side that is brutally hard to play against — defensively organised, ruthlessly efficient on the counter, and impossible to rattle. Hull sealed sixth place on the final day of the regular season in dramatic fashion, coming from behind to beat Norwich City at home while both Wrexham and Derby County stumbled in the final 90 minutes elsewhere. It was the kind of climax that English football does better than anywhere else on earth.
Millwall last played top-flight football in 1990. Middlesbrough and Hull were both last in the Premier League in 2017. All three clubs know that Wembley on May 23rd represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Southampton know it too — and they will not be giving it up without a fight.
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