The Championship play-off final looms huge, with Hull City and Middlesbrough potentially 90 or 120 minutes away from ending their respective nine-year absences from the Premier League.

It is generally known that the EFL’s post-season lottery delivers memorable moments of drama, glory, and anguish in equal measure; however, this year’s pre-game drama has undoubtedly been determined away from the field.

The Tigers have beaten the odds all season to reach Wembley Stadium for the fifth time in the previous 18 years, and in their entire existence, under Sergej Jakirovic’s management, defeating Millwall 2-0 in their two-legged semi-final.

Boro, meanwhile, have been in the promotion fight for the entirety of the Championship season, but were upset 2-1 by Southampton in the semi-finals.

However, that result only reveals a fraction of the drama that has transpired over the last two weeks, with Saints initially accused by the EFL with unlawful filming inside Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Park training complex before to the first semi-final at the Riverside.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding a ‘planned’ kick-off time of 4:30PM between Hull and Southampton, as well as the sale of thousands of tickets, an independent disciplinary commission has since expelled Tonda Eckert’s team from the play-offs and reinstated Kim Hellberg’s outfit ahead of the showpiece event in North London, with that decision and a four-point deduction for Saints now upheld by a league arbitration panel.

As a result, many Teesside and East Yorkshire fans will throng on Olympic Way on Saturday afternoon, wanting to watch their team win club football’s most profitable game.

However, the government’s recent warning may be something they should consider.

The UK government issues a health warning regarding the EFL play-off finals.

One of the most attractive features of the season’s final months for match-goers is the improvement in weather conditions, as well as the drama on the pitch.

With approximately 33,000 tickets sold in the East End of Wembley allocated to Tigers supporters, Middlesbrough had managed to shift 10,000 within the first four hours of their 35,984 allocation in place of Southampton’s, with club staff working overtime to ensure that as many, if not all, of the remaining tickets are sold ahead of Saturday’s 3:30PM kickoff.

If every general admission seat is sold, over 71,000 people will be in attendance, and with many expected to be out in the heat, the UK Government has issued a ‘yellow’ health notice for London from 9 a.m. on Friday, May 22nd to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27th.

A risk score of 7 indicates a 60 to 89% likelihood but a low impact; nonetheless, vulnerable persons are reported to be at a higher risk, and people in that category use healthcare services more frequently as a result.

During the Championship play-off final, temperatures are forecast to fall between 28 and 29 degrees Celsius, with winds of only five miles per hour.

However, the aforementioned health advisory will also apply to the League One play-off final between Bolton Wanderers and Stockport County on Sunday, May 24th at 1PM, as well as the League Two play-off final between Salford City and Notts County at 3PM on bank holiday Monday.

Hull City and Middlesbrough fans have been waiting a long time for Wembley visits.

Following the pre-game uncertainty, both Hull and Middlesbrough fans will be ready to make the long journey south, having waited more than a decade to play at the national stadium.

The Tigers’ last trip at Wembley Stadium was in the 2016 Championship play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday, when Mohamed Diame’s 71st-minute curler propelled them to the Premier League for only the third time in history.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, has been involved in two previous play-off campaigns since then, losing to Aston Villa and Coventry City in the semi-finals in 2018 and 2023, respectively, and their only trip to the new Wembley Stadium came 11 years ago, when they lost 2-0 to Norwich City in the final after early goals from Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond.