A side that wasn't allowed to sign anyone for money is 90 minutes from top flight English football.

Hull City spent the season under a transfer embargo, scraped sixth on the final day with a win over Norwich, drew the first leg 0-0, and have now ground out a result at The Den against Millwall that takes them to Wembley.

Belloumi did the heavy lifting.

A clean left-foot finish in the 63rd minute to break the deadlock, then a counterattack in the 79th minute that ended with a Joe Gelhardt strike past Anthony Patterson.

They face either Southampton or Middlesbrough in the final after Tuesday's second leg. Millwall were the higher-seeded team, and they'll go home crestfallen after a strong season.

Millwall 0, Hull City 2 (Final)

90' - Millwall 0, Hull City 2. Full time.

Belloumi had two goal involvements, including a goal that broke a 150-minute deadlock between these two EFL Championship teams. Hull will play the winner of Southampton and Middlesbrough at Wembley.

79' - Hull City scores again

That could seal it. Hull breaks free and Belloumi passes to Joe Gelhardt, who shoots at the Millwall keeper. The keeper fails to control it, allowing the ball to roll into the net.

77' - Pressure mounts on Millwall

Only 13 minutes left in regulation.

69' - Belloumi shown yellow card 🟨

The goal-scorer kicked the ball away during a stoppage in play. He gets a yellow card for time-wasting.

63' - Hull City scores

It took a while, but Belloumi has a cracker of a goal off his left foot. All the pressure is on the Lions at this point.

61' - No goals through 60 minutes

Not for lack of trying, but neither of these teams can put the ball in the net. During the season, Hull had 70 goals. Millwall had 64 goals.

54' - Charlie Hughes shown yellow card 🟨

That's the second yellow of the game for Hull.

46' - Second half underway

Only 45 minutes left to go (maybe) in the Millwall-Hull tie.

45' - Halftime: Millwall 0, Hull City 0

No goals today, no goals in the first leg. It might be the case where one goal makes all the difference.

45' - McBurnie goes over the bar

Hull had a free kick from outside the box with the minutes dwindling and McBurnie sends it over the bar.

45' - Kyle Joseph off with injury

Hull's Joseph leaves the field after taking a hard tackle from Casper De Norre.

32' - Millwall surge

Millwall have turned the tables after a good start from Hull. The Lions now have 64-percent possession on the game, with six shots, and three on target. In fact, they have a .66 xG from their chances in the box.

19' - Millwall picking up

The Lions have picked up the pace within the last few minutes, with some touches in the Hull box and a big shot from Azeez.

9' - John Egan shown yellow card 🟨

Early yellow card for the Hull defender.

2' - Early corner kick for Hull

The sun is in Millwall keeper Anthony Patterson's eyes to start this evening game, no doubt he's used to it, but the broadcasters have remarked on it. Nothing comes of the corner, but Hull have dominated possession so far.

1' - Millwall vs Hull City underway at The Den

The second leg will decide who goes on to the EFL Championship play-off final to play either Southampton or Boro.

0' - Confirmed Lineups

  • Millwall (4-2-3-1) Patterson; Leonard, Crama, Cooper, Sturge; de Norre, Mazou-Sacko; Azeez, Neghli, Ballo; Coburn
  • Hull City (3-4-2-1) Pandur; Ajayi, Egan, Hughes; Coyle, Slater, Crooks, Giles; Joseph, Millar; McBurnie

0' - Millwall vs Hull City (agg. 0-0)

Follow along for live updates from The Den. Kick-off is at 3:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. BST. Samuel Barrott is the referee.

Championship Play-off Final at Wembley: The Path Forward

  • The winner of Millwall vs Hull City advances to the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 23, to face the winner of Tuesday's Southampton vs Middlesbrough second leg (first leg ended 0-0).
  • The Championship play-off final is regularly described as the richest game in football, with promotion to the Premier League worth an estimated £170 million.

EFL Championship Play-off Semi-Finals

  • Friday, May 8 - Hull City 0, Millwall 0
  • Saturday, May 9 - Middlesbrough 0, Southampton 0
  • Monday, May 11 - Millwall 0, Hull City 2
  • Tuesday, May 12 - Southampton vs Middlesbrough - 3:00 p.m. ET

When is the Championship play-off final?

Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Wembley Stadium.

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