2025–26 Hull City A.F.C. season

May

On 15 May 2025, following the conclusion of the 2024–25 season, head coach Rubén Sellés was dismissed from his role. His coaching team, consisting of James Oliver-Pearce and Tobias Loveland, were also dismissed.^[9][10] On 17 May, Hull announced their retained list. Left-back Brandon Fleming was the headline departure, leaving the club after 16 years. Wingers Nordin Amrabat and Doğukan Sinik also left, among others.^[11] On 21 May, Martin Hodge was announced as the club's new Head of Recruitment.^[12] The following week, on 29 May, the head coach of the U18s, David Meyler, left his role at the club after Cork City signed him as their new assistant manager.^[13]

June

On 11 June, Sellés' replacement was unveiled when Sergej Jakirović was appointed as the new head coach, signing a two-year deal.^[14] He was joined by his own coaching staff, consisting of Marko Salatović, Marin Ivančić, and Anđelo Roguljić.^[14] Following Jakirović's arrival, Moroccan midfielder Reda Laalaoui became the club's first official signing of the summer window, signing from FUS Rabat for £400,000 on a four-year deal.^[15][16] Experienced duo Dillon Phillips and Semi Ajayi then agreed Bosman deals with the Tigers, amidst a flurry of outgoings.^{[17][18][19][20]}

Firstly, Xavier Simons permanently moved to Bolton Wanderers,^[21][22] whilst Thimothée Lo-Tutala was loaned back to Doncaster Rovers for a second time, having previously been there in the second half of the 2023–24 season.^[23][24] On 19 June, João Pedro left the club by mutual consent.^[25][26] This news came just over a month after he had agreed a new contract with Hull.^[27] Elsewhere, ex-academy graduate Andy Smith moved to League Two side Gillingham after 14 years with the Tigers,^[28][29] before Anthony Racioppi returned to his native Switzerland by signing for Sion.^[30][31] The fixtures for the upcoming season were then released on 26 June, with Hull drawn away to Coventry City on the opening day and at home to Norwich City on the final day.^[32]

July

On 2 July, Dean Holden was announced as an additional assistant head coach to support Jakirović and his team.^[33] As a result, Andy Dawson swapped his position as a first team coach for a new role as Head of Player Development.^[34] On 4 July, Hull were hit with a fee-restricting transfer embargo from the EFL, set to last three transfer windows. The embargo was reportedly placed due to late payments to Aston Villa the previous season, over the loan of Louie Barry. The club immediately reacted by stating their intent to appeal the decision.^[35][36] More news surfaced on 7 July, when it came to light that a similar issue with payments to Manchester City over the loan of Fin Burns had led to a further embargo, although it had already been lifted by the time the press were notified. Despite the worrying headlines, owner Acun Ilıcalı remained calm when questioned for his opinion and reassured supporters that the situation was simply "a misunderstanding".^[37] As a result of the initial embargo, the recent signings of Gustavo Puerta and Reda Laalaoui were put in jeopardy, with the club unable to register either player with the EFL.^[36]

Whilst awaiting to have their appeal heard, the Tigers began acting in accordance with their new fee restriction, which stopped them from paying any form of transfer fee for a new player. By this time, a second wave of departures had begun, with Matty Jacob loaned to Reading for the season and Marvin Mehlem returning to Germany on a permanent basis with Arminia Bielefeld.^{[38][39][40][41]} Towards the end of the month, two of Hull's longest-serving players left the club. On 19 July, after six years with the Tigers, versatile defender Sean McLoughlin moved to fellow Championship side Blackburn Rovers for £500,000.^[42][43] Then, on 26 July, vice-captain Alfie Jones headed to Middlesbrough for a £3,000,000 fee, following half a decade in black and amber.^[44][45] Young centre-back Charlie Hughes was in turn promoted to replace Jones as deputy to captain Lewie Coyle.^[46] That week also saw Abdülkadir Ömür and Mason Burstow go out on season-long loans, to Antalyaspor and Bolton Wanderers respectively.^{[47][48][49][50]} Then, over three weeks after the news broke, the first new face since the fee restriction arrived. Having seen out his contract with Sheffield Wednesday, 26-year-old Akin Famewo penned a two-year deal with the Tigers on 29 July.^[51] Furthermore, two important loans were secured prior to the start of August. England U19 winger Joel Ndala, as well as former Young Lion John Lundstram both made temporary switches to Hull for the campaign.^{[52][53][54][55]}

August

Player of the Month: Joe Gelhardt^[56]
Goal of the Month: Oli McBurnie (v Oxford United)^[57]

Although there was still no update on the fee restriction, transfer business continued throughout the run-up to the start of the new season. On 1 August, former Turkey youth international Enis Destan joined for free from Trabzonspor, signing a three-year deal.^[58][59] Then, following just one season with Hull, midfielder Steven Alzate left the club for MLS outfit Atlanta United, moving for a fee of £1,750,000.^[60][61] It had taken most of the summer to find a replacement for João Pedro, but on 6 August the Tigers acquired former Sheffield United target man Oli McBurnie, shortly after he had terminated his contract with Spanish side Las Palmas.^[62][63] The next day, goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright was loaned out to Hartlepool United for the season.^[64][65]

Prior to kick-off on opening day away at Coventry City, the club announced the return of Joe Gelhardt for his second spell on loan from Leeds United.^[66][67] His redebut in black and amber came that afternoon as a substitute at the CBS Arena. The Tigers went on to achieve a point in Jakirović's first competitive fixture in charge of Hull, having played out a goalless draw with their hosts.^[68] Three days later, they drew again, although eventually lost via penalty shoot-out, after a thrilling 3–3 battle with Wrexham in the EFL Cup. Hull's first goal of the season was scored by McBurnie, with the English-born Scotsman finding the net on 36 minutes to level the tie after going 1–0 down at the Racecourse Ground.^[69] On 15 August, the squad strengthened yet further with the additions of winger David Akintola and left-back Brandon Williams.^{[70][71][72][73]} It was the first time Williams had been registered at a club since his release from Manchester United in 2024 and, more recently, his suspended prison sentence for dangerous driving only three months earlier.^[73][74] The opening home fixture of the campaign soon followed on 17 August, as the Tigers secured a late 3–2 victory over Oxford United, thanks to goals from Gelhardt and Matt Crooks, plus a stoppage-time winner from McBurnie.^[75]

News on the outcome of Hull's fee restriction appeal finally broke on 19 August.^[76][77] The EFL and their Club Financial Reporting Unit (CFRU) made public that the restriction had been reduced from three transfer windows to just two. However, they also announced that the third window had only been suspended, meaning that if the club made any further financial violation before 1 July 2026, the third window would be reinstated.^[78] The result of the decision left Hull stuck being able to only sign free agents and bring in loans for the remainder of the campaign.^[76][77][78] As the month drew to a close, the issues off the pitch were reflected in performances on it, as the Tigers suffered heavy defeats in consecutive league fixtures against Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City.^[7][79] The only positive news to come out of the two losses was the welcome return of Mohamed Belloumi, who had just recovered from an ACL injury he had been sidelined with since November 2024.^[7][80][81]

September

Player of the Month: Oli McBurnie^[82]
Goal of the Month: John Lundstram (v Southampton)^[83]

At 19:00 on 1 September, the summer transfer window shut.^[84] Prior to the deadline, Abu Kamara was loaned out to pre-season opponents Getafe,^[85][86] in turn allowing for Bosnia and Herzegovina international Amir Hadžiahmetović to arrive on a season-long loan from Beşiktaş.^[87] Hull's final signing of the window was Darko Gyabi, who signed a three-year contract having been allowed to leave Leeds United on a free transfer.^[88][89] Finally, despite the club making no official announcement, there was now confirmation that the transfer of Gustavo Puerta had been annulled, after the Colombian moved from his former team Bayer Leverkusen to Segunda División side Racing de Santander.^[90] Similarly, it came to light that the transfer of Reda Laalaoui had met the same fate, when he was unveiled at Belgian club Westerlo on 8 September.^[91] The next day, Hull announced that £15 million of their shareholder loan had been converted into equity in order to help strengthen the club's finances.^[92]

Following the international break, the Tigers returned to league action on 13 September. Away at Swansea City, goals from McBurnie and John Egan were required to earn a hard-fought point in South Wales, after Hull had gone 2–0 down inside 40 minutes.^[93] Jakirović's side would have to wait only another week for their second win of the season, beating recently relegated Southampton 3–1 at the MKM.^[94] Momentum was then lost in an uninspiring performance away at Watford,^[95] which in turn bled into a difficult evening at home to Preston North End, notable for an Ivor Pandur blunder and the long-awaited return of Liam Millar from injury.^[4] The Tigers sat 18th by the end of the month.

October

Player of the Month: Joe Gelhardt^[96]
Goal of the Month: Liam Millar (v Leicester City)^[97]

Pandur soon recovered his form in remarkable fashion on 4 October, saving a late penalty from Harrison Burrows to secure an important 1–0 win over Sheffield United ahead of the next international break.^[98] On 10 October, ex-Blade McBurnie was named as the EFL Championship Player of the Month for September.^[99] Meanwhile the following week, another former Blades' player, this time midfielder Lundstram, was ruled out for six weeks with a calf injury he had sustained against his old club.^[100] On 18 October, league play resumed. In an ill-tempered affair at St Andrew's, Hull ran out 3–2 winners against Birmingham City to claim their first away victory of the campaign, coincidentally also ending the hosts' run of 29 home games unbeaten.^[101] The match was littered with flashpoints, with the most prominent of these coming towards the end of the first half when a touchline brawl broke out between both teams' coaching staff and players. Birmingham were later fined £115,000, whereas Hull were only fined £25,000.^[102] A 2–1 win at the MKM over another recently relegated side in Leicester City took the Tigers as high as 7th.^[103] The month was then rounded out with a solid 1–1 draw at home to Charlton Athletic.^[104]

November

Player of the Month: Joe Gelhardt^[96]
Goal of the Month: Joe Gelhardt (v Portsmouth)^[97]

Hull started November by extending their unbeaten run to six games, scraping a 2–0 win away at Norwich City thanks to goals from Gelhardt and Gyabi.^[105] However, just three days later they came unstuck, falling at the hands of Derby County in a 2–1 loss at Pride Park.^[106] Despite this, it did not take long for Jakirović's men to return to winning ways. On 8 November, the Tigers overcame Portsmouth with a 3–2 victory,^[107] highlighted by a superb winner from Gelhardt which later won the club's Goal of the Month award.^[97] As the final international break of 2025 approached, goalkeeper Pandur received his first senior call-up from Croatia for upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Montenegro.^[108] During the break, Hull defender Ajayi missed the crucial kick in a penalty shoot-out against the DR Congo to cost Nigeria a place at the World Cup.^[109]

When domestic action eventually resumed at the end of the month, the Tigers lost back-to-back matches. A 3–2 defeat to Queens Park Rangers was soon accompanied by a 2–0 home loss to Ipswich Town, with ex-Hull loanee Chuba Akpom scoring in the latter.^[110][111] In the final fixture of November, an important 2–1 win away to Stoke City brought Hull back into the play-off mix, although tensions spiralled out of control at full-time. With the game decided late on through a Gelhardt winner, celebrations from Lundstram after the final whistle riled up the home supporters as well as some of the Stoke players, resulting in a brawl very similar to the one at Birmingham a month prior.^[112] The hosts were later fined £25,000, whilst Hull suffered a heavier payment of £50,000.^[113]

December

Player of the Month: Regan Slater^[114]
Goal of the Month: Mohamed Belloumi (v Sheffield Wednesday)^[115]

The Tigers were then met with a gruelling final month of 2025, with six games set to be contested before the new year. The first of these fixtures came on 5 December at home to high-flying Middlesbrough. The visitors reflected their position in the table with an immaculate first half performance, leaving Hull down 4–0 at the break. Later, the hosts' blushes were somewhat spared when Joe Gelhardt made it 4–1 from the penalty spot just after the hour mark, but no more goals came as Hull suffered their first thrashing since Blackburn won 3–0 against them at the end of August.^[8] Coincidentally, on 8 December, the Tigers were drawn at home to Blackburn in the third round of the FA Cup,^[116] with the fixture set to be played on 11 January 2026.^[117]

Five days after the Boro match, Hull beat Wrexham 2–0 at the MKM,^[118] before an away win over Millwall and another home victory, this time against West Bromwich Albion.^[119][120] On Christmas Eve, it was announced that the club's accounts were showing underlying losses of £41,700,000.^[121] To match the negative tone of the news, the Tigers afforded themselves a 2–2 slip-up away at relegation-bound Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day.^[122] However, they quickly returned to form with a 1–0 win on 29 December. That day, they rewrote the script against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, completing a defensive masterclass largely thanks to 19-year-old defender Cathal McCarthy.^[123]

January

Player of the Month: TBA
Goal of the Month: TBA

On 2 January 2026, Matty Jacob was recalled from his loan spell at Reading.^[124] and John Egan triggered an appearance-related clause in his contract that will see him stay at Hull until the summer of 2027.^[125]
On 4 January, James Debayo signed an 18-month contract with the club on a free transfer from Leeds United.^[126]
On 8 January, Harry Vaughan Joined Bohemians on loan for the remainder of the season.^[127]
On 9 January, Tyrell Sellars-Fleming was recalled from his loan at Scunthorpe United and moved on loan for the remainder of the season to Grimsby Town.^[128]
On 16 January, Ed Devine joined Guiseley on a month-long loan spell.^[129]
On 19 January, Yū Hirakawa joined the club on loan from Bristol City for the remainder of the season.^[130]
On 22 January, Kasey Palmer joined Luton Town on loan for the remainder of the season.^[131]
On 23 January, Kieran Dowell signed permanently for Hull from Rangers on an 18-month deal.^[132]
On 28 January, Paddy McNair signed from San Diego FC on an 18-month contract with the club.^[133]
On 30 January, Toby Collyer joined on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the season,^[134] and Lewis Koumas joined from Liverpool again on loan until the end of the season.^[135]
On 30 January, Enis Destan moved on loan to Westerlo.^[136]

February

Player of the Month: TBA
Goal of the Month: TBA

On 2 February 2026, transfer deadline day, Joel Ndala was recalled by Manchester City.^[137]
On 3 February, Brandon Williams left the club by mutual consent.^[138][139]
On 5 February, goalkeeper Khiani Shombe signed an 18-month contract with the Academy arriving on a free transfer from Southampton.^[140]
On 5 February, Hugh Parker joined Carlisle United on a month-long loan spell.^[141]
On 9 February, James Furlong moved to Maribor for an undisclosed fee.^[142]
On 11 February, captain Lewie Coyle signed a new long-term contract keeping him at the club until 2029.^[143]

League table

Results summary

Results by round

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

Coventry City v Hull City

9 August 2025 1	Coventry City	0–0	Hull City	Coventry
12:30 BST	van Ewijk  57' Dasilva  65' Rushworth  90+1'	Report[68]	Slater  66' Crooks  90+1' McBurnie  90+1'	Stadium: CBS Arena Attendance: 29,052 Referee: Bobby Madley

Hull City v Oxford United

17 August 2025 2	Hull City	3–2	Oxford United	Hull
15:00 BST	Gelhardt 2' Crooks 20',  27' McBurnie 90+3'	Report[75]	Lankshear 9' Spencer  12' Brannagan 26'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 20,667 Referee: Andrew Kitchen
Note: Initially scheduled for 16 August, but was moved to accommodate a Hull F.C. fixture.[200]

Hull City v Blackburn Rovers

23 August 2025 3	Hull City	0–3	Blackburn Rovers	Hull
12:30 BST	Slater  12' Lundstram  37' McBurnie  90+6'	Report[7]	Hedges 18' Tavares  43' Ōhashi 47' Cantwell 50' Henriksson  85' McLoughlin  90+6'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 20,518 Referee: Tom Nield
Note: Initially scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[200]

Bristol City v Hull City

30 August 2025 4	Bristol City	4–2	Hull City	Bristol
15:00 BST	Riis 18', 42' Mehmeti 32' Bird 78' Knight  89'	Report[79]	Gelhardt 3' Akintola  52' Joseph 90+3'	Stadium: Ashton Gate Attendance: 21,385 Referee: Gavin Ward

Swansea City v Hull City

13 September 2025 5	Swansea City	2–2	Hull City	Swansea
15:00 BST	Vipotnik 40' Tymon  52' Ronald 57'	Report[93]	McBurnie 45' Hughes  88' Egan 90+7'	Stadium: Swansea.com Stadium Attendance: 15,152 Referee: David Webb

Hull City v Southampton

20 September 2025 6	Hull City	3–1	Southampton	Hull
15:00 BST	Lundstram  15', 59' Joseph 22' Giles  55' McBurnie 70' Destan  85' Slater  87' Pandur  90+2'	Report[94]	Harwood-Bellis  70' Stephens  85' Stewart  90+4' Armstrong 90+5'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 22,085 Referee: Anthony Backhouse

Watford v Hull City

27 September 2025 7	Watford	2–1	Hull City	Watford
15:00 BST	Semedo  23', 78' Louza 60'	Report[95]	Lundstram  12' McBurnie 25' Giles  30' Drameh  50' Coyle  90+2' Akintola  90+4'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 17,973 Referee: Oliver Langford

Hull City v Preston North End

30 September 2025 8	Hull City	2–2	Preston North End	Hull
19:45 BST	McBurnie 48', 74'	Report[4]	Small 3' Smith 10' Lindsay  51'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 18,624 Referee: Josh Smith

Hull City v Sheffield United

4 October 2025 9	Hull City	1–0	Sheffield United	Hull
12:30 BST	Akintola 30' McBurnie  60' Egan  88'	Report[98]	O'Hare  46' McGuinness  60' Burrows 88'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 21,030 Referee: Gavin Ward
Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[201]

Birmingham City v Hull City

18 October 2025 10	Birmingham City	2–3	Hull City	Birmingham
15:00 BST	Stansfield 27',  45', 90+6' (pen.) Beadle  54' Robinson  59'  59'	Report[101]	Robinson 11' (o.g.) Coyle  16' Akintola  20' Gelhardt  45', 90+3' Slater 45+4' Crooks  68' Pandur  76' Egan  83' Destan  90+8'	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 27,215 Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo

Hull City v Leicester City

21 October 2025 11	Hull City	2–1	Leicester City	Hull
19:45 BST	Millar 6' Gelhardt 31',  52'	Report[103]	Ramsey 67' Thomas  73' Choudhury  90+8'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 20,211 Referee: Matt Donohue

Hull City v Charlton Athletic

25 October 2025 12	Hull City	1–1	Charlton Athletic	Hull
15:00 BST	Hughes  44' Gelhardt 46' Joseph  55'	Report[104]	Berry 90+1' Kelman  90+4'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 20,804 Referee: Andrew Kitchen

Norwich City v Hull City

1 November 2025 13	Norwich City	0–2	Hull City	Norwich
12:30 GMT	Schlupp  28'	Report[105]	Gelhardt 49' Crooks  74' Joseph  78' Gyabi 87'	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 25,724 Referee: Josh Smith
Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[201]

Derby County v Hull City

4 November 2025 14	Derby County	2–1	Hull City	Derby
19:45 GMT	Morris 27' Salvesen 83',  85'	Report[106]	Ndala 50'	Stadium: Pride Park Attendance: 26,391 Referee: Stephen Martin

Hull City v Portsmouth

8 November 2025 15	Hull City	3–2	Portsmouth	Hull
12:30 GMT	Destan 27' Joseph 42' Gelhardt 79' Pandur  90+8'	Report[107]	Devlin 16', 45+2',  62' Williams  76' Pack  82'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 23,205 Referee: Tom Nield
Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[201]

Queens Park Rangers v Hull City

22 November 2025 16	Queens Park Rangers	3–2	Hull City	Shepherd's Bush
15:00 GMT	Chair 38' Dunne 55' Burrell 66'	Report[110]	Gelhardt 17' Destan 51' Crooks  90+3'	Stadium: Loftus Road Referee: James Linington

Hull City v Ipswich Town

25 November 2025 17	Hull City	0–2	Ipswich Town	Hull
19:45 GMT	Gelhardt  31' Giles  52'	Report[111]	Cajuste  22' Núñez 69' Akpom 73' Greaves  89'	Stadium: MKM Stadium Attendance: 21,271 Referee: Lewis Smith