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2026–27 Middlesbrough F.C. season

English football club season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2026–27 season is the 151st season in the history of Middlesbrough Football Club and their tenth consecutive season in the Championship. In addition to the domestic league, the club are also participating in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

OwnerSteve Gibson
ChairmanSteve Gibson
Head coachKim Hellberg
StadiumRiverside Stadium
Quick facts season, Owner ...
Middlesbrough
2026–27 season
OwnerSteve Gibson
ChairmanSteve Gibson
Head coachKim Hellberg
StadiumRiverside Stadium
EFL CupThird round
← 2025–26
2027–28 →
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The season marks the 150th anniversary for the club, and is the first season to feature the 2026 crest.[1]

Kits

Home[n1 1]
Away[n1 2]
Third[n1 3]
150th Kit[n1 4]
Notes
  1. [1]
    In honour of the club's 150th anniversary, the home kit features a centralised crest, complete with the club's iconic red first adopted in 1901, combined with a gold trim.[2]
  2. [2]
    Inspired by what is believed to be the oldest-surviving Middlesbrough shirt in existence, the away kit is an eggshell white with blue and polka dot trim, reminiscent of the kit worn by Middlesbrough between 1886–1890, including the club's first campaign in the Northern League.[2]
  3. [3]
    An electric yellow and navy design for the third kit, featuring a sublimation of the lion from the club's new crest.[2]
  4. [4]
    For the club's 150th celebration fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 10 October, a navy shirt with darker blue shorts, adorned by the first-ever Middlesbrough team in 1876, will be worn.[2]

Transfers and contracts

In

More information Date, Pos. ...
Date Pos. Player From Fee Ref.
First Team
15 June 2026[a]LWEcuador Jeremy SarmientoEngland Brighton & Hove Albion£3,200,000[3][4]
3 July 2026CAMJamaica Myles Peart-HarrisEngland Oxford UnitedFree[5]
10 July 2026CFScotland Kyle JosephEngland Hull City£4,000,000[6][7]
22 July 2026CFEngland Will LankshearEngland Tottenham Hotspur£10,000,000[b][8][9]
28 July 2026CMUnited States Sebastian BerhalterCanada Vancouver Whitecaps£1,650,000[10][11]
4 August 2026LBUnited States Max ArfstenUnited States Columbus Crew£5,600,000[12][13]
8 August 2026GKCzech Republic Radek VítekEngland Manchester United£7,000,000[c][14][15]
15 August 2026CBEngland Ashley PhillipsEngland Tottenham Hotspur£7,000,000[d][16][17]
24 August 2026LBEngland Sam ByramEngland Leeds UnitedFree[18]
31 August 2026CAMUnited States Rokas PukstasCroatia Hajduk Split£4,300,000[19][20]
Academy
1 July 2026GKEngland DJ BernardEngland LiverpoolFree[21]
LBMalaysiaSierra Leone Cayden ColeEngland Hull City[21]
RBEngland Ezra Tika-LembaEngland Newcastle United[21]
18 August 2026CFNorthern Ireland Eamon TohillNorthern Ireland CliftonvilleUndisclosed[22]
1 September 2026CBEngland Abdulhalim OkunolaEngland Southampton[23]
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  1. [a]
    The transfer was announced on 28 May, and would become official on June 15 once the transfer window opened.
  2. [b]
    A potential further £10,000,000 with performance-related add-ons.
  3. [c]
    A potential further £7,000,000 in performance-based add-ons.
  4. [d]
    A potential further £13,000,000 in add-ons

Loans in

More information Date, Pos. ...
Date Pos. Player From Loaned until Ref.
First Team
1 September 2026CDMScotland Connor BarronScotland RangersEnd of Season[24]
RWEngland Amario Cozier-DuberryEngland Brighton & Hove Albion[25]
Academy
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Loans out

More information Date, Pos. ...
Date Pos. Player To Loaned until Ref.
First Team
7 August 2026LWSuriname Delano BurgzorgEngland Preston North EndEnd of Season[26]
10 August 2026LBEngland Finley MunroeEngland Blackpool[27]
20 August 2026RWCuraçao Sontje HansenTurkey Gaziantep[28]
Academy
21 July 2026LBEngland Ollie SamuelsNorthern Ireland CliftonvilleEnd of Season[29]
20 August 2026CMEngland Brayden JohnsonEngland Harrogate Town[30]
30 August 2026CBEngland Jack DaleyEngland Gillingham[31]
1 September 2026CAMEngland Fin CartwrightEngland Grimsby Town[32]
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Out

More information Date, Pos. ...
Date Pos. Player To Fee Ref.
First Team
2 July 2026CDMEngland Hayden HackneyEngland Everton£17,000,000[a][33][34]
8 August 2026CFSenegal Kaly SèneSwitzerland BSC Young Boys£1,000,000[35][36]
30 August 2026CDMIvory Coast Abdoulaye KantéSaudi Arabia Al-Ettifaq£3,000,000[37][38]
4 September 2026RWEngland Morgan WhittakerUnited States Colorado Rapids£7,900,000[39][40]
Academy
24 July 2026CBEngland Archie BaptisteEngland Harrogate TownUndisclosed[41]
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  1. [a]
    A further £8,000,000 of potential add-ons.

Released / out of contract

More information Date, Pos. ...
Date Pos. Player Subsequent club Joined date Ref.
First Team
30 June 2026CDMEngland Daniel BarlaserEngland Milton Keynes Dons4 July 2026[3][42]
CBEngland Dael FryEngland Birmingham City3 July 2026[43][3]
LWAustralia Samuel SilveraEngland Milton Keynes Dons31 July 2026[3][44]
CAMRepublic of Ireland Alex GilbertEngland Leyton Orient3 September 2026[3][45]
CFFinland Marcus Forss[3]
CBRepublic of Ireland Darragh Lenihan[3]
17 August 2026GKSenegal Seny DiengGreece Atromitos17 August 2026[46][47]
Academy
30 June 2026RWEngland Max HowellsEngland Darlington1 July 2026[3][48]
CFEngland Leandro BevinEngland Cheshunt8 July 2026[3][49]
GKEngland Nathan FisherEngland Hartlepool United26 July 2026[3][50]
RBEngland Will McPartlandEngland Sheffield Wednesday8 September 2026[3][51]
LBEngland Prince Acheampong[3]
CFEngland Hazeem Bakre[3]
GKWales Oliver Lloyd[3]
RWEngland William Okine[3]
LBEngland Logan Williams[3]
CBEngland McCartney Woodhouse[3]
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New contracts

More information Date, Pos. ...
Date Pos. Player Contract expiry Ref.
First Team
27 July 2026GKScotland Jon McLaughlin30 June 2027[52]
Academy
1 July 2026[a]CMEngland Lucas Harrison30 June 2028[b][53]
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  1. [a]
    Contract agreement was announced on 21 May, and would become official on July 1
  2. [b]
    First professional contract

Pre-season and friendlies

On 5 June, Boro announced a pre-season fixture against La Liga side Espanyol.[54] A fortnight later, a trip to Scotland to face Celtic was confirmed.[55]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

11 July 2026 Friendly Farense 2–2 Middlesbrough Quinta do Lago, Portugal
13:00 WEST Report
Stadium: The Campus
Attendance: 0 (BCD)
18 July 2026 Friendly Celtic 1−1 Middlesbrough Parkhead, Scotland
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Celtic Park
25 July 2026 Friendly Middlesbrough 1–3 Huddersfield Town Hurworth-on-Tees
13:00 BST
Report Stadium: Rockliffe Park
Attendance: 0 (BCD)
1 August 2026 Friendly Middlesbrough 3–3 Espanyol Middlesbrough
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Riverside Stadium

Competitions

Overall record

More information Competition, First match ...
Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
Championship August 2026 May 2027 Matchday 1 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
FA Cup January 2027 TBD Third round TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
EFL Cup August 2026 TBD First round TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
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Last updated: pre-season
Source: Soccerway

Championship

Main article: 2026–27 EFL Championship

League table

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
4 Queens Park Rangers 6 3 2 1 7 4 +3 11 Qualification for Championship play-off semi-finals
5 Charlton Athletic 6 3 2 1 6 7 −1 11 Qualification for Championship play-off quarter-finals
6 Middlesbrough 5 3 1 1 8 5 +3 10
7 Bristol City 5 3 1 1 9 7 +2 10
8 Millwall 5 3 0 2 10 8 +2 9
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Updated to match(es) played on 9 September 2026. Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) Number of 12-point sending off offences; 9) Play-off (only if needed to determine promotion/relegation)[56]

Results summary

More information Overall, Home ...
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
5 3 1 1 8 5  +3 10 2 0 0 5 2  +3 1 1 1 3 3  0
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Last updated: 5 September 2026.
Source: Soccerway

Results by round

More information Round, Ground ...
Round12345761891011121314151617181920212223
GroundHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHA
ResultWLWDW
Position511552
Points336710
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Source: EFL
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; P = Postponed
Notes:

Matches

On 25 June, the Championship fixtures were revealed.[57]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

15 August 2026 1 Middlesbrough 2–1 Lincoln City Middlesbrough
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 31,487 (2,118 away)
Referee: Bobby Madley
22 August 2026 2 Blackburn Rovers 2–1 Middlesbrough Blackburn
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 18,918 (6,236 away)
Referee: Tom Reeves
29 August 2026 3 Middlesbrough 3–1 West Bromwich Albion Middlesbrough
12:30 BST
Report
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 29,571
Referee: Paul Tierney
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was brought forward for live Sky Sports.[58]
2 September 2026 4 Burnley 1–1 Middlesbrough Burnley
20:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Turf Moor
Referee: Matt Donohue
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 19:45 kick-off, but was pushed back for live Sky Sports.[58]
5 September 2026 5 Queens Park Rangers 0–1 Middlesbrough Shepherd's Bush
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: MATRADE Loftus Road
Attendance: 17,007 (2,300 away)
Referee: Andrew Madley
12 September 2026 7 Middlesbrough v Norwich City Middlesbrough
15:00 BST Stadium: Riverside Stadium
15 September 2026 6 Middlesbrough v Millwall Middlesbrough
19:45 BST Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for 8 September, but was pushed back a week due to both clubs involvement in the EFL Cup.[59]
19 September 2026 8 Birmingham City v Middlesbrough Bordesley
15:00 BST Stadium: St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park
10 October 2026 9 Middlesbrough v Wolverhampton Wanderers Middlesbrough
15:00 BST Stadium: Riverside Stadium
13 October 2026 10 Stoke City v Middlesbrough Stoke-on-Trent
20:00 BST Stadium: bet365 Stadium
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 19:45 kick-off, but was pushed back for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[60]
17 October 2026 11 Middlesbrough v Cardiff City Middlesbrough
12:30 BST Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was brought forward for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[60]
23 October 2026 12 Bolton Wanderers v Middlesbrough Horwich
20:00 BST Stadium: Toughsheet Community Stadium
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for 24 October, but was brought forward to the night prior for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[60]
31 October 2026 13 Middlesbrough v Charlton Athletic Middlesbrough
15:00 GMT Stadium: Riverside Stadium
4 November 2026 14 Wrexham v Middlesbrough Wrexham
19:45 GMT Stadium: Racecourse Ground
7 November 2026 15 Watford v Middlesbrough Watford
15:00 GMT Stadium: Vicarage Road
21 November 2026 16 Middlesbrough v Bristol City Middlesbrough
15:00 GMT Stadium: Riverside Stadium
24 November 2026 17 Middlesbrough v Swansea City Middlesbrough
19:45 GMT Stadium: Riverside Stadium
27 November 2026 18 Southampton v Middlesbrough Southampton
20:00 GMT Stadium: St Mary's Stadium
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for 24 October, but was brought forward to the night prior for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[60]
5 December 2026 19 Middlesbrough v Derby County Middlesbrough
12:30 GMT Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was brought forward for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[60]
8 December 2026 20 West Ham United v Middlesbrough Stratford
20:00 GMT Stadium: London Stadium
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 19:45 kick-off, but was pushed back for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[60]
12 December 2026 21 Preston North End v Middlesbrough Preston
12:30 GMT Stadium: Deepdale
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was brought forward for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[60]
19 December 2026 22 Middlesbrough v Portsmouth Middlesbrough
15:00 GMT Stadium: Riverside Stadium
26 December 2026 23 Sheffield United v Middlesbrough Sheffield
12:30 GMT Stadium: Bramall Lane
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was brought forward for live Sky Sports broadcasting.[60]

FA Cup

Main article: 2026–27 FA Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

EFL Cup

Main article: 2026–27 EFL Cup

Middlesbrough were drawn at home to Wrexham in the first round,[61][58] and then away to Doncaster Rovers in the second round[62][63] and Crystal Palace in the third round.[64][59]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

7 August 2026 First round Middlesbrough 1–0 Wrexham Middlesbrough
20:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Referee: Will Finnie
25 August 2026 Second round Doncaster Rovers 1–3 Middlesbrough Doncaster
19:30 BST
Report
Stadium: Club Doncaster Sports Village
Attendance: 6,883
Referee: Edward Duckworth
8 September 2026 Third round Crystal Palace 3–0 Middlesbrough Selhurst
19:45 BST
Report
Stadium: Selhurst Park
Referee: Tony Harrington

Statistics

Appearances and goals

As of match played 8 September 2026

Players with no appearances are not included on the list; italics indicate loaned in player

More information No., Pos ...
No. Pos Nat Player TotalChampionshipFA CupEFL Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK Czech Republic CZE Radek Vítek 505+000+000+00
2 DF England ENG Callum Brittain 805+000+002+10
3 DF England ENG Sam Byram 100+000+001+00
4 DF England ENG Ashley Phillips 401+100+000+20
5 DF Canada CAN Alfie Jones 611+310+002+00
6 MF United States USA Sebastian Berhalter 704+100+002+00
7 FW England ENG Will Lankshear 875+050+001+22
8 MF Australia AUS Riley McGree 503+200+000+00
9 FW Scotland SCO Tommy Conway 400+300+001+00
10 MF United States USA Aidan Morris 614+010+001+10
11 FW England ENG Amario Cozier-Duberry 100+000+001+00
12 DF England ENG Luke Ayling 804+100+003+00
13 FW Slovakia SVK David Strelec 300+100+001+10
14 MF Jamaica JAM Myles Peart-Harris 602+200+002+00
16 FW Ecuador ECU Jeremy Sarmiento 522+110+002+01
17 FW United States USA Max Arfsten 602+200+002+00
19 MF England ENG Leo Castledine 601+200+002+10
21 MF United States USA Rokas Pukštas 200+100+000+10
22 FW Scotland SCO Kyle Joseph 713+200+001+11
25 DF England ENG George Edmundson 100+000+000+10
29 DF France FRA Adilson Malanda 705+000+002+00
30 DF Brazil BRA Neto Borges 804+100+002+10
31 GK England ENG Sol Brynn 300+000+003+00
44 MF England ENG Cruz Ibeh 100+000+000+10
46 MF England ENG Fin Cartwright 100+000+000+10
Players who featured but departed the club permanently during the season:
11 FW England ENG Morgan Whittaker 503+000+002+00
42 MF Ivory Coast CIV Abdoulaye Kanté 101+000+000+00
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Disciplinary record

As of match played 8 September 2026
More information Rank, No. ...
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Player Championship FA Cup EFL Cup Total
Yellow cardYellow card Yellow-red cardRed cardYellow cardYellow card Yellow-red cardRed cardYellow cardYellow card Yellow-red cardRed cardYellow cardYellow card Yellow-red cardRed card
1 7CFEnglandWill Lankshear 200000100300
2 14CAMJamaicaMyles Peart-Harris 000000200200
29CBFranceAdilson Malanda 100000100200
4 2RBEnglandCallum Brittain 100000000100
5LBCanadaAlfie Jones 100000000100
30LBBrazilNeto Borges 000000100100
Totals 5000005001000
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References

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