Southampton have been thrown out of the Championship play-offs after admitting they spied on three clubs during the season.
Middlesbrough, who were beaten by Southampton in the semi-final, have been reinstated and will now face Hull City for a place in the Premier League.
The EFL charged Southampton with observing training sessions involving Oxford United and Ipswich Town, as well as filming Middlesbrough ahead of the first leg of their play-off semi-final on 7 May.
An independent disciplinary commission also imposed a four-point deduction on Southampton for the next Championship season.
The sanction means Southampton will miss out on the play-off final, a match often described as the richest in world football, with promotion worth a minimum of £110m in Premier League broadcast revenue.
The final remains scheduled for Saturday at Wembley, with kick-off time to be confirmed.
Southampton admitted to “multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training”, the EFL said.
The club also received a reprimand for all charges.
Sources have confirmed to BBC Sport that Southampton will lodge an appeal on Wednesday, arguing that the punishment is disproportionate.
The EFL said it would be “working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May”. It added that “subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture”.
The appeal will be heard by an Independent League Arbitration panel with three new members.
The EFL said in a statement: “Southampton was first charged on Friday 8 May, with further charges issued on Sunday 17 May in relation to additional breaches during the 2025-26 season.
“Those additional charges arose from matters identified after the initial proceedings involving Middlesbrough were initiated.
“Southampton admitted breaches of regulations requiring clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The admitted breaches concern fixtures against Oxford United in December 2025, Ipswich Town in April 2026 and Middlesbrough in May 2026.”
Southampton did not win any of the three games, losing 2-1 at Oxford, drawing 2-2 at home to Ipswich, and taking a 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough.
The statement continued: “The EFL is now in discussion with all three clubs regarding the implications of today’s decision and will make a further announcement in due course.”
Middlesbrough issued a statement saying they “welcome the outcome”.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” it added.
“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.”
Southampton had already sold tickets for the final, and supporters will receive a full refund.
The club must now wait to see whether the Football Association brings charges against individuals involved, as the EFL can only sanction member clubs.
After a spying case at the 2024 Olympic Games, three members of Canada’s staff, including the head coach, were banned from all football by FIFA for a year.
The incident in question took place on the morning of Thursday, 7 May, when Middlesbrough were preparing at their Rockliffe Park training base ahead of their match against Southampton two days later.
The individual involved, Southampton analyst intern William Salt, is said to have parked near a golf club before walking a short distance to a raised area overlooking the training ground.
Sources told the BBC he was seen pointing a mobile phone at the session while wearing in-ear headphones, with Middlesbrough staff believing the activity may have involved a live video call.
A Middlesbrough staff member approached him, but he refused to identify himself and was later seen deleting content from his phone before running off.
He is reported to have entered a toilet, changed his clothes, and left the area.
Middlesbrough’s photographer later identified him from images matched to a Southampton website photo, which was subsequently made public.
The incident was reported to the EFL, which charged Southampton with breaches of Regulation 3.4, requiring clubs to act in good faith, and Regulation 127, which prohibits observing or attempting to observe an opponent’s training session within 72 hours of a fixture.
