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Move over, New England Patriots, there’s a new spygate in town, and it’s of much, much bigger consequence.
On Tuesday afternoon, the English Football League announced that Southampton had been kicked out of the Championship Play-Off Final after they were found to have spied on opponent Middlesbrough ahead of a semifinal matchup between the two.
Southampton went on to win the matchup 2-1 on aggregate, thanks to a goal in extra time of the second leg from Shea Charles. However, now that victory is meaningless.
Instead, it will be Middlesbrough that faces off with Hull City in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, and the decision could wind up costing Southampton upwards of $100.
Ironically, Southampton admitted to spying ahead of three different matches, none of which it actually won. Ultimately, text messages between club employees provided the damning evidence.
On top of that, Southampton fans are now in the dark as to what to do with thousands of tickets for Saturday’s match.
Nearly 40,000 Southampton Fans Bought Tickets To The Play-Off Final
When Southampton advanced to the final with its win over Middlesbrough, fans rushed to secure tickets to the final against Hull.
In fact, the club almost immediately sold out of its ticket allotment.
🚨🎟️ Southampton’s 37,604 ticket allocation for Saturday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley is now SOLD OUT #saintsfc @sfcawaynumbers pic.twitter.com/wmNVvrjKMa
— SaintsExtra (@SaintsExtra) May 19, 2026
Thankfully, the BBC reports that Southampton fans will receive full refunds for the tickets. Although that will be of little consolation to the heartbroken supporters.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough and its fans have remained hopeful, and players have kept training over the last week in anticipation of receiving a second chance.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the club states. “As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday. Ticket information for our supporters will be available shortly.”