| 2025–26 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Steve Gibson | ||
| Chairman | Steve Gibson | ||
| Head Coach | Rob Edwards (until 12 November)[1] Kim Hellberg (from 24 November)[2] | ||
| Stadium | Riverside Stadium | ||
| Championship | 2nd | ||
| EFL Cup | First round | ||
| Top goalscorer | Tommy Conway Kaly Sène (2 goals each) | ||
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |||
The2025–26 season is the 150th season in the history ofMiddlesbrough Football Club and their ninth consecutive season in theChampionship. In addition to thedomestic league, the club are also participating in theFA Cup and theEFL Cup.
Prior to the season starting,Rob Edwards was appointed as the new head coach on a three-year contract.[3] On 12 November, after 15 games in charge and a win ratio of 46.67%, he resigned as head coach to joinWolverhampton Wanderers.[1] Twelve days later,Kim Hellberg was appointed head coach fromSwedish sideHammarby.[2]
| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2025 | GK | Free | [4] | ||
| 4 July 2025 | CB | [5] | |||
| 25 July 2025 | CF | Undisclosed | [6] | ||
| CB | Free transfer | [7] | |||
| £3,000,000 | [8][9] | ||||
| 29 July 2025 | DM | £2,610,000 | [10][11] | ||
| 4 August 2025 | RB | £3,500,000 | [12][13] | ||
| 13 August 2025 | RW | £3,000,000 | [14][15] | ||
| 20 August 2025 | CB | £7,364,000 | [16][17] | ||
| 29 August 2025 | CF | £1,500,000 | [18][19] | ||
| 1 September 2025 | GK | Free | [20] | ||
| CF | £8,000,000 | [21] |
| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 June 2025 | GK | £150,000 | [22][23] | ||
| 26 June 2025 | CF | £5,000,000 | [24][25] | ||
| 13 August 2025 | CB | £11,200,000 | [26][25][27] | ||
| 29 August 2025 | CAM | £12,000,000 | [28][29] |
| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Date until | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 August 2025 | CM | 31 May 2026 | [30] | ||
| 27 August 2025 | LB | [31] | |||
| 1 September 2025 | CM | [32] |
| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Date until | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 2025 | CB | 31 December 2025 | [16] | ||
| 29 August 2025 | LW | 27 September 2025 | [33] | ||
| 31 August 2025 | LB | 31 May 2026 | [34] | ||
| 1 September 2025 | CF | [35] | |||
| CM | [36] | ||||
| 2 September 2025 | CDM | [37] | |||
| 26 September 2025 | CDM | 2 January 2026 | [38] | ||
| 11 November 2025 | RW | 9 December 2025 | [39] |
| Date | Pos. | Player | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 2025 | CB | 1 July 2025 | [40][41] | ||
| CM | [40][42] | ||||
| CB | [40][43] | ||||
| CB | 15 July 2025 | [40][44] | |||
| RB | 22 July 2025 | [40][45] | |||
| RB | 28 July 2025 | [40][46] | |||
| CB | 1 August 2025 | [40][47] | |||
| CF | 8 August 2025 | [40][48] | |||
| CM | 11 August 2025 | [49][50] | |||
| LW | 21 August 2025 | [40][51] | |||
| RB | 27 August 2025 | [40][52] | |||
| LB | 1 November 2025 | [40][53] | |||
| 1 September 2025 | GK | [54] |
| Date | Pos. | Player | Contracted until | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 October 2025 | CM | Undisclosed[a] | [55] | |
| 9 October 2025 | RWB | [56] | ||
| 17 November 2025 | CF | [57] |
On 27 May, Middlesbrough announced their first pre-season friendly, againstRangers.[58] A week later, a second fixture was confirmed, againstHartlepool United.[59] A third trip was later added againstBradford City.[60] A home friendly was later announced, againstDeportivo La Coruña.[61] On 4 July, a trip toMansfield Town was added.[62]
Win Draw Loss Fixtures
| 12 July 2025Friendly | Santa Clara | 1–0 | Middlesbrough | TBC, Portugal |
| 14:00WEST | Report | Stadium:TBC Attendance: 0 (behind-closed-doors) |
| 19 July 2025Friendly | Mansfield Town | 3–3 | Middlesbrough | Mansfield |
| 15:00BST |
| Report | Stadium:Field Mill |
| 23 July 2025Friendly | Bradford City | 2–0 | Middlesbrough | Bradford |
| 19:00BST | Report | Stadium:Valley Parade |
| 26 July 2025Friendly | Rangers | 2–2 | Middlesbrough | Ibrox, Scotland |
| 14:00BST | Report | Stadium:Ibrox Stadium |
| 30 July 2025Friendly | Hartlepool United | 1–1 | Middlesbrough | Hartlepool |
| 19:00BST |
| Report |
| Stadium:Victoria Park |
| 2 August 2025Friendly | Middlesbrough | 2–2 | Deportivo La Coruña | Middlesbrough |
| 15:00BST |
| Report | Stadium:Riverside Stadium |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Championship | 9 August 2025 | Matchday 1 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 055.56 | ||
| FA Cup | Third round | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | !— | |||
| EFL Cup | 12 August 2025 | First round | First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 000.00 | |
| Total | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 050.00 | ||||
Last updated: 4 October 2025
Source:Soccerway
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry City | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 43 | 15 | +28 | 37 | Promotion to thePremier League |
| 2 | Middlesbrough | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 30 | |
| 3 | Stoke City | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 27 | Qualification for theChampionship play-offs |
| 4 | Bristol City | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 18 | +7 | 26 | |
| 5 | Preston North End | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 26 |
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 10 | +1 |
Last updated: 22 November 2025.
Source:Soccerway
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A |
| Result | W | W | W | W | D | W | D | D | L | W | W | D | L | D | W | D |
| Position | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Points | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 30 |
On 26 June theChampionship fixtures were announced, with Middlesbrough hostingSwansea City on the opening weekend.[64]
Win Draw Loss Fixtures
| 9 August 20251 | Middlesbrough | 1–0 | Swansea City | Middlesbrough |
| 15:00BST | Report | Stadium:Riverside Stadium Attendance: 26,035 Referee: Farai Hallam |
| 16 August 20252 | Millwall | 0–3 | Middlesbrough | Bermondsey |
| 15:00BST | Report | Stadium:The Den Attendance: 18,021 Referee: Tom Nield |
| 23 August 20253 | Norwich City | 1–2 | Middlesbrough | Norwich |
| 15:00BST | Report | Stadium:Carrow Road Attendance: 26,381 Referee: Leigh Doughty |
| 30 August 20254 | Middlesbrough | 1–0 | Sheffield United | Middlesbrough |
| 12:30BST |
| Report | Stadium:Riverside Stadium Attendance: 26,610 Referee: Lewis Smith | |
| Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved liveSky Sports broadcasting.[65] | ||||
| 13 September 20255 | Preston North End | 2–2 | Middlesbrough | Preston |
| 12:30BST | Report | Stadium:Deepdale Attendance: 19,391 Referee: Thomas Kirk | ||
| Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved liveSky Sports broadcasting.[65] | ||||
| 19 September 20256 | Middlesbrough | 2–1 | West Bromwich Albion | Middlesbrough |
| 20:00BST |
| Stadium:Riverside Stadium Attendance: Andrew Kitchen Referee: 27,803 | ||
| Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for 20 September, but was moved liveSky Sports broadcasting.[65] | ||||
| 27 September 20257 | Southampton | 1–1 | Middlesbrough | Southampton |
| 15:00BST |
| Report | Stadium:St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 28,605 Referee: Farai Hallam |
| 30 September 20258 | Middlesbrough | 0–0 | Stoke City | Middlesbrough |
| 19:45BST | Report | Stadium:Riverside Stadium Attendance: 24,707 Referee: David Webb |
| 4 October 20259 | Portsmouth | 1–0 | Middlesbrough | Milton |
| 15:00BST |
| Report |
| Stadium:Fratton Park Attendance: 20,397 Referee: Anthony Backhouse |
| 17 October 202510 | Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Ipswich Town | Middlesbrough |
| 20:00BST | Stadium:Riverside Stadium Attendance: 27,805 Referee: Matt Donohue | |||
| Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for 18 October, but was rescheduled for liveSky Sports broadcasting.[66] | ||||
| 22 October 202511 | Sheffield Wednesday | 0–1 | Middlesbrough | Owlerton |
| 20:00BST | Report | Stadium:Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 7,081 Referee: Thomas Kirk | ||
| Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 19:45 kick-off, but was rescheduled for liveSky Sports broadcasting.[66] | ||||
| 25 October 202512 | Middlesbrough | 1–1 | Wrexham | Middlesbrough |
| 15:00BST |
| Report | Stadium:Riverside Stadium Attendance: 30,046 Referee: Stephen Martin |
| 1 November 202513 | Watford | 3–0 | Middlesbrough | Watford |
| 15:00GMT |
| Report |
| Stadium:Vicarage Road Attendance: 19,278 Referee: John Busby |
| 4 November 202514 | Leicester City | 1–1 | Middlesbrough | Leicester |
| 19:45GMT | Report | Stadium:King Power Stadium Attendance: 28,389 Referee: Adam Herczeg |
| 8 November 202515 | Middlesbrough | 2–1 | Birmingham City | Middlesbrough |
| 15:00GMT | Report | Stadium:Riverside Stadium Attendance: 26,378 Referee:Sam Allison |
| 22 November 202516 | Oxford United | 1–1 | Middlesbrough | Littlemore |
| 15:00GMT |
| Report | Stadium:Kassam Stadium Attendance: 11,138 Referee: Ben Toner |
Middlesbrough were drawn at home toDoncaster Rovers in the first round.[67][68]
Win Draw Loss Fixtures
| 12 August 2025First round | Middlesbrough | 0–4 | Doncaster Rovers | Middlesbrough |
| 19:30BST |
| Report | Stadium:Riverside Stadium Attendance: 11,979 Referee: Matt Corlett |
Players with no appearances are not included on the list
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Championship | FA Cup | EFL Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| 2 | DF | Callum Brittain | 16 | 0 | 15+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 3 | DF | Matt Targett | 13 | 1 | 12+1 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 5 | DF | Alfie Jones | 16 | 1 | 15+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 6 | DF | Dael Fry | 12 | 2 | 10+1 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | |||
| 7 | MF | Hayden Hackney | 17 | 3 | 16+0 | 3 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | |||
| 8 | MF | Riley McGree | 4 | 0 | 1 +3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 9 | FW | Tommy Conway | 17 | 2 | 15+1 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 10 | FW | Delano Burgzorg | 14 | 1 | 7 +6 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 11 | FW | Morgan Whittaker | 16 | 3 | 12+3 | 3 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 12 | DF | Luke Ayling | 17 | 1 | 13+3 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 13 | FW | David Strelec | 10 | 1 | 6 +4 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 16 | MF | Alan Browne | 11 | 0 | 6 +5 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 17 | FW | Micah Hamilton | 1 | 0 | 0 +0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | |||
| 18 | MF | Aidan Morris | 17 | 0 | 14+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | |||
| 19 | MF | Sverre Nypan | 11 | 0 | 3 +8 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 20 | FW | Kaly Sène | 13 | 2 | 3 +10 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 21 | FW | Marcus Forss | 2 | 0 | 0 +1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | |||
| 22 | FW | Samuel Silvera | 11 | 0 | 4 +7 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 25 | DF | George Edmundson | 3 | 0 | 3 +0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 26 | DF | Darragh Lenihan | 2 | 0 | 1 +1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 27 | FW | Sontje Hansen | 9 | 1 | 2 +7 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 28 | MF | Law McCabe | 1 | 0 | 0 +0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 30 | DF | Neto Borges | 4 | 0 | 0 +3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 31 | GK | Sol Brynn | 16 | 0 | 16+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 40 | DF | George McCormick | 2 | 0 | 0 +1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| 42 | MF | Abdoulaye Kanté | 5 | 0 | 1 +3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| Player(s) who featured but departed the club permanently during the season: | |||||||||||||
| 20 | MF | Finn Azaz | 2 | 1 | 1 +1 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | |||
| 23 | GK | Tom Glover | 1 | 0 | 0 +0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | |||
| Rank | No. | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Championship | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | DF | Alfie Jones | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | 2 | DF | Callum Brittain | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 7 | MF | Hayden Hackney | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Tommy Conway | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12 | DF | Luke Ayling | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | FW | Samuel Silvera | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | 11 | FW | Morgan Whittaker | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 19 | MF | Sverre Nypan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 20 | FW | Kaly Sène | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10 | 3 | DF | Matt Targett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | FW | Delano Burgzorg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 13 | FW | David Strelec | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | MF | Alan Browne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | DF | George Edmundson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | DF | Darragh Lenihan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 42 | MF | Abdoulaye Kanté | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Totals | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 1 | ||||