The 2026/27 Championship lineup is packed with rivalries, the majority of which are returning after a hiatus.

The second tier will once again include Cardiff City against Swansea City, Wolves vs West Brom, and Millwall vs West Ham, but there is also a new rivalry forming between two sides from different ends of the nation.

Indeed, Middlesbrough vs Southampton will undoubtedly be a fixture to watch in the Championship next season, following the spygate incident that engulfed the two sides during their play-off match last season.

The Saints were found guilty of spying on Kim Hellberg’s training session less than 72 hours before the first leg of their play-off semi-final. Tonda Eckert’s side was expelled after winning the tie and proceeding to the play-off final for violating EFL regulations, and Borough was reinstated to face Hull City for a Premier League ticket.

Middlesbrough would eventually lose the final match at Wembley Stadium due to a late Oli McBurnie goal, ensuring Hellberg and Eckert will face off once more in the dugout next season in what promises to be a blockbuster.

Southampton players confess they are looking forward to playing Middlesbrough next season.

The EFL fixture lists are announced on Thursday, bringing the 2026/27 season closer to its start.

To generate excitement ahead of fixture release day, Southampton created a thread on X that revealed the one game that a select handful of their players are looking forward to next season.

In an ideal world, they would have known their itinerary last Friday, when the Premier League fixtures were released. According to their own admission, Saints players were denied the opportunity to compete for Premier League football, and as is common with people who feel wronged, they frequently go to others for blame.

Whether that should be Middlesbrough, the EFL, or those higher up the food chain at Southampton is debatable, but several Saints players are looking forward to taking on Borough next season to prove that they are better than them regardless of any spying.

Striker Cyle Larin, defender Mads Roerslev, and young striker Jay Robinson have all stated that their most anticipated match is against Middlesbrough, with the latter adding that the game at St Mary’s will be more thrilling.

There’s little doubt that when Kim Hellberg’s side travels to the south coast next season, the atmosphere will be hostile, but it appears that the hatred at Middlesbrough will not be limited to the fan base.

How Middlesbrough fans responded to Southampton players’ admission

With the Southampton and Portsmouth derby being one of the most intense in the EFL, it’s telling that there were as many Middlesbrough comments as Pompey ones among the players.

Some Borough fans were seen in the comments making fun of what they perceive to be an infatuation with the Riverside-based club, presumably for no other reason than that they were the side to gain from the Saints’ elimination from the play-offs in May.

“Imagine being more up for a game against little old Borough than your main rivals,” one Middlesbrough fan commented in the comments. “Even the players are obsessed,” another added. One fan referred to Southampton as “Obsession FC.”

Understandably, some responses referenced Southampton’s snooping, with many gifs depicting people peering out of bushes and holding binoculars visible. One even added, “you don’t know already?” implying that they had spied on the fixtures being collated ahead of their release on Thursday.

This is unlikely to be the last mention of Southampton spying on social media this season, particularly ahead of the match against Middlesbrough.

It’s undoubtedly one of the first matchups that fans of both teams, as well as neutral EFL fans, will be looking forward to when they’re revealed tomorrow.