2026–27 Middlesbrough F.C. season

Middlesbrough
2026–27 season
OwnerSteve Gibson
ChairmanSteve Gibson
Head coachKim Hellberg
StadiumRiverside Stadium

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.

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. ↑ 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. ↑ 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. ↑ An electric yellow and navy design for the third kit, featuring a sublimation of the lion from the club's new crest.[2]
  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

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]
Academy
1 July 2026GKEngland DJ BernardEngland LiverpoolFree[19]
LBMalaysiaSierra Leone Cayden ColeEngland Hull City[19]
RBEngland Ezra Tika-LembaEngland Newcastle United[19]
18 August 2026CFNorthern Ireland Eamon TohillNorthern Ireland CliftonvilleUndisclosed[20]
  1. ↑ The transfer was announced on 28 May, and would become official on June 15 once the transfer window opened.
  2. ↑ A potential further £10,000,000 with performance-related add-ons.
  3. ↑ A potential further £7,000,000 in performance-based add-ons.
  4. ↑ A potential further £13,000,000 in add-ons

Loans in

Date Pos. Player From Loaned until Ref.
First Team
Academy

Loans out

Date Pos. Player To Loaned until Ref.
First Team
7 August 2026LWSuriname Delano BurgzorgEngland Preston North EndEnd of Season[21]
10 August 2026LBEngland Finley MunroeEngland Blackpool[22]
20 August 2026RWCuraçao Sontje HansenTurkey Gaziantep[23]
Academy
21 July 2026LBEngland Ollie SamuelsNorthern Ireland CliftonvilleEnd of Season[24]
20 August 2026CMEngland Brayden JohnsonEngland Harrogate Town[25]

Out

Date Pos. Player To Fee Ref.
First Team
2 July 2026CDMEngland Hayden HackneyEngland Everton£17,000,000[a][26][27]
8 August 2026CFSenegal Kaly SèneSwitzerland BSC Young Boys£1,000,000[28][29]
Academy
24 July 2026CBEngland Archie BaptisteEngland Harrogate TownUndisclosed[30]
  1. ↑ A further £8,000,000 of potential add-ons.

Released / out of contract

Date Pos. Player Subsequent club Joined date Ref.
First Team
30 June 2026CDMEngland Daniel BarlaserEngland Milton Keynes Dons4 July 2026[3][31]
CBEngland Dael FryEngland Birmingham City3 July 2026[32][3]
LWAustralia Samuel SilveraEngland Milton Keynes Dons31 July 2026[3][33]
CFFinland Marcus Forss[3]
CAMRepublic of Ireland Alex Gilbert[3]
CBRepublic of Ireland Darragh Lenihan[3]
17 August 2026GKSenegal Seny DiengGreece Atromitos17 August 2026[34][35]
Academy
30 June 2026RWEngland Max HowellsEngland Darlington1 July 2026[3][36]
CFEngland Leandro BevinEngland Cheshunt8 July 2026[3][37]
GKEngland Nathan FisherEngland Hartlepool United26 July 2026[3][38]
LBEngland Prince Acheampong[3]
CFEngland Hazeem Bakre[3]
GKWales Oliver Lloyd[3]
RBEngland Will McPartland[3]
RWEngland William Okine[3]
LBEngland Logan Williams[3]
CBEngland McCartney Woodhouse[3]

New contracts

Date Pos. Player Contract expiry Ref.
First Team
27 July 2026GKScotland Jon McLaughlin30 June 2027[39]
Academy
1 July 2026[a]CMEngland Lucas Harrison30 June 2028[b][40]
  1. ↑ Contract agreement was announced on 21 May, and would become official on July 1
  2. ↑ First professional contract

Pre-season and friendlies

On 5 June, Boro announced a pre-season fixture against La Liga side Espanyol.[41] A fortnight later, a trip to Scotland to face Celtic was confirmed.[42]

  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

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 !—

Last updated: pre-season
Source: Soccerway

Championship

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
3 Swansea City 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7 Qualification for Championship play-off semi-finals
4 Queens Park Rangers 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7
5 Middlesbrough 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6 Qualification for Championship play-off quarter-finals
6 Millwall 3 2 0 1 6 5 +1 6
7 West Bromwich Albion 3 2 0 1 6 5 +1 6
Updated to match(es) played on 29 August 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)[43]

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
3 2 0 1 6 4  +2 6 2 0 0 5 2  +3 0 0 1 1 2  −1

Last updated: 29 August 2026.
Source: Soccerway

Results by round

Round12345761891011121314151617181920212223
GroundHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHA
ResultWLW
Position5115
Points336
Source: EFL
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; P = Postponed
Notes:

Matches

On 25 June, the Championship fixtures were revealed.[44]

  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.[45]
2 September 2026 4 Burnley v Middlesbrough Burnley
20:00 BST Stadium: Turf Moor
Note: Fixture was initially scheduled for a 19:45 kick-off, but was pushed back for live Sky Sports.[45]
5 September 2026 5 Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough Shepherd's Bush
15:00 BST Stadium: MATRADE Loftus Road
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.[46]
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.[47]
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.[47]
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.[47]
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.[47]
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.[47]
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.[47]
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.[47]
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.[47]

FA Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

EFL Cup

Middlesbrough were drawn at home to Wrexham in the first round,[48][45] and then away to Doncaster Rovers in the second round[49][50] and Crystal Palace in the third round.[51][46]

  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 v Middlesbrough Selhurst
19:45 BST Stadium: Selhurst Park

Statistics

Appearances and goals

As of match played 29 August 2026

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

No. Pos Nat Player TotalChampionshipFA CupEFL Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK Czech Republic CZE Radek Vítek 303+000+000+00
2 DF England ENG Callum Brittain 503+000+001+10
4 DF England ENG Ashley Phillips 100+000+000+10
5 DF Canada CAN Alfie Jones 310+210+001+00
6 MF United States USA Sebastian Berhalter 502+100+002+00
7 FW England ENG Will Lankshear 563+040+001+12
8 MF Australia AUS Riley McGree 301+200+000+00
9 FW Scotland SCO Tommy Conway 100+100+000+00
10 MF United States USA Aidan Morris 302+000+000+10
11 FW England ENG Morgan Whittaker 503+000+002+00
12 DF England ENG Luke Ayling 503+000+002+00
13 FW Slovakia SVK David Strelec 100+000+000+10
14 MF Jamaica JAM Myles Peart-Harris 402+100+001+00
16 FW Ecuador ECU Jeremy Sarmiento 522+110+002+01
17 FW United States USA Max Arfsten 501+200+002+00
19 MF England ENG Leo Castledine 401+100+002+00
22 FW Scotland SCO Kyle Joseph 511+200+001+11
25 DF England ENG George Edmundson 100+000+000+10
29 DF France FRA Adilson Malanda 403+000+001+00
30 DF Brazil BRA Neto Borges 502+100+002+00
31 GK England ENG Sol Brynn 200+000+002+00
42 MF Ivory Coast CIV Abdoulaye Kanté 101+000+000+00
44 MF England ENG Cruz Ibeh 100+000+000+10
46 MF England ENG Fin Cartwright 100+000+000+10

Disciplinary record

As of match played 29 August 2026
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 100000100200
2 14CAMJamaicaMyles Peart-Harris 000000100100
30LBBrazilNeto Borges 000000100100
Totals 100000300400

References

  1. ↑ "New Club Crest Introduced". Middlesbrough FC. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Colours of this Love". Middlesbrough FC. 6 July 2026. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Boro's Retained List Submitted". Middlesbrough FC. 28 May 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Transfer details as Middlesbrough sign Brighton's Jeremy Sarmiento". The Northern Echo. 27 January 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Myles Peart-Harris Signs For Boro". Middlesbrough FC. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Kyle Joseph Signs For Boro". Middlesbrough FC. 10 July 2026. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Middlesbrough complete signing of forward Kyle Joseph from Hull City". The Northern Echo. 10 July 2026. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Boro Land Will Lankshear Signing". Middlesbrough FC. 22 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Tottenham striker Will Lankshear set to join Middlesbrough". Yahoo Sports. 22 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Sebastian Berhalter joins Boro". Middlesbrough F.C. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "USMNT's Sebastian Berhalter reportedly close to transfer to Middlesbrough from Vancouver". Yahoo Sports. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Max Arfsten joins Boro". Middlesbrough F.C. 4 August 2026. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Columbus Crew transfer Max Arfsten to Middlesbrough". Major League Soccer. 4 August 2026. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Radek Vitek Joins Boro From Manchester United". Middlesbrough FC. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "The Athletic morning update: Man Utd finalise £14m deal for 'highly-regarded' 22-year-old". Yahoo Sports. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Ashley Phillips Signs For Boro From Tottenham Hotspur". Middlesbrough FC. 15 August 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Tottenham defender follows Cristian Romero through exit as £20m deal confirmed". AOL. 15 August 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Sam Byram Joins Boro". Middlesbrough FC. 24 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 "Academy Welcomes Three New Signings". Middlesbrough FC. 1 July 2026. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "Middlesbrough sign Northern Ireland youth international Eamonn Tohill". The Northern Echo. 18 August 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Delano Burgzorg Joins Preston On Loan". Middlesbrough FC. 7 August 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Blackpool sign Munroe on loan from Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. August 10, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Sontje Hansen Loaned To Gaziantep FK". Middlesbrough FC. 20 August 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Oll aboard". Cliftonville FC. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Brayden Johnson Joins Harrogate On Loan". Middlesbrough FC. 20 August 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Hayden Hackney Completes Everton Move". Middlesbrough FC. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "Hayden Hackney completes £25m move from Middlesbrough to Everton". The Northern Echo. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "Kaly Sène Joins BSC Young Boys". Middlesbrough FC. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Kaly Sene leaves Middlesbrough for Young Boys on permanent deal". The Northern Echo. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "Archie Baptiste Joins Harrogate Town". Middlesbrough FC. 24 July 2026. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  31. ↑ "Daniel Barlaser is a Don". Milton Keynes Dons FC. 4 July 2026. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "Dael Fry Joins Birmingham City". Middlesbrough FC. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  33. ↑ "Sam Silvera Signs for MK Dons". Milton Keynes Dons FC. 31 July 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  34. ↑ "Seny Dieng Leaves Boro". Middlesbrough FC. 17 August 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  35. ↑ "Ένας πρωταθλητής Αφρικής στον Ατρόμητο: Για έναν χρόνο στο Περιστέρι ο Σένι Ντιένγκ!" (in Greek). Atromitos FC. 17 August 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  36. ↑ "Max Howells signs for The Quakers". Darlington FC. 17 June 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  37. ↑ @cheshuntfcscore (8 July 2026). "Welcome back to The Ambers family, Leandro Bevin!" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 July 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  38. ↑ "Pools add goalkeeper Nathan Fisher". Hartlepool United FC. 26 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  39. ↑ "Goalkeeper Signs New Boro Contract". Middlesbrough FC. 27 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  40. ↑ "Lucas Harrison Signs First Pro Deal". Middlesbrough FC. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  41. ↑ "Boro To Host Espanyol". Middlesbrough FC. 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  42. ↑ "Pre-Season Friendly: Boro To Travel To Celtic". Middlesbrough FC. 22 June 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  43. ↑ "Section 3 - The League". EFL Official Website. subsection 9 – Method of Determining League Positions. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  44. ↑ "Boro Fixtures 2026/27". Middlesbrough FC. 25 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  45. 1 2 3 "Early TV Selections Confirmed". Middlesbrough FC. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  46. 1 2 "Palace Cup Details Confirmed As Millwall Get New Date". Middlesbrough FC. 28 August 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  47. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Eight More Games Selected". Middlesbrough FC. 30 July 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  48. ↑ "Boro To Host Wrexham In Carabao Cup". Middlesbrough FC. 25 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  49. ↑ "Boro Drawn Doncaster Away In Carabao Cup". Middlesbrough FC. 10 August 2026. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  50. ↑ "Date Confirmed For Doncaster Carabao Cup Trip". Middlesbrough FC. 14 August 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  51. ↑ "Boro Drawn Against Crystal Palace In Carabao Cup". Middlesbrough FC. 26 August 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
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