Leicester drew 2-2 with Hull and were relegated from the Sky Bet Championship.
Gary Rowett’s side had won just two of their last 19 league games and were in 23rd place, eight points out of safety, before kick-off.
They needed to beat the Tigers to play one more day, but they fought back from a one-point deficit to take the lead. But Oli McBurnie’s strike sealed their fate.
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Oli McBurnie helped equalize Hull and Leicester in the Championship clash.
It has been just 10 years since Leicester, under manager Claudio Ranieri, beat odds of 5,000 to 1 to win the Premier League title before being relegated to the third division.
In 2026/27, the Foxes will play in English football’s third tier for the second time in their 142-year history.
How Leicester were relegated
Leicester experienced their own downfall when Hull opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who was playing from the back, passed the ball straight to Miller, who calmly took the shot.
However, they were a completely different team after the interval and turned the game around in just 92 seconds.
Issahak Fatau was given a penalty after being tripped by Luis Koumas, and James fired home a powerful shot from 12 yards in the 52nd minute.
In the next attack, Thomas converted Bobby de Cordova-Reid’s cross to make it 2-1, and the big run began.
However, it only lasted nine minutes as Hull equalized in the 64th minute. With a penalty award seeing manager Sergei Yakilovich sent to the stands in protest, Miller caused trouble down the left flank and teed up McBurnie, who rifled home from 16 yards.
Leicester’s league position after winning the Premier League
Hinchcliffe: ‘Leicester’s relegation is unacceptable’
Andy Hinchcliffe talks about Sky Sports Football:
“If you look back at clubs that have been relegated in the past, you won’t find any other club that has the quality and experience that Leicester has.
“This team was meant to win the Championship title. To drop to League One is unprecedented. It’s a season no one saw coming.
“Everyone in Leicester’s playing side needs to take a long, hard look at themselves because this is unacceptable.”
“This could be catastrophic for the club.”
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Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Lee Hendry have criticized Leicester City players following their relegation from the Championship.
Courtney Sweetman-Kirk’s Soccer Feature:
“I can’t believe what I’ve seen this season.
“I know the players care to a certain extent, but what we’ve seen consistently throughout the season is that they don’t care enough. That’s the simple fact.
“I feel sorry for the fans, the support staff and the people who are probably going to lose their jobs.
“Honestly, I don’t know where the club is going.
“I think about Seagrave, one of the best training facilities in Europe. How do they keep the lights on there? Do they still have Category 1 academy status? It’s not just what’s happening today.
“I’m really concerned about the situation and the future of this club, because I think this could be catastrophic.”
Rowett: “The big picture is that we’re not going to be relegated after three or four games, we’re going to be relegated after one season.”
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Leicester City manager Gary Rowett was disappointed after the club’s home draw with Hull City saw them relegated from the Championship.
Leicester manager Gary Rowett talks about Sky Sports Football:
“It’s incredibly frustrating. First of all, if you look at the game, it’s quite symptomatic in some ways. In the first half, we made a terrible mistake that gave them momentum. We did that over and over again. We didn’t match the urgency and the importance of the game, but we still had some good moments to score.
“In the second half, we came out and were really good. Maybe if we had played with that intensity in the last five or six games, we could have won more points. We looked like a team that wanted to fight, we created a lot of chances, but we couldn’t convert them. I’m very frustrated with the game.”
“The bigger picture is that relegation happens over the course of a season, not just three or four games. We’ve missed a lot of chances, but that’s not the whole story. We’ve only kept five clean sheets all season, so it’s not just about the forwards. We’ve also given up poor goals and you’ll see that tonight.”
“Leicester are far from the level expected. The rebuild will be massive.”
Curtis Davis talks about Sky Sports Football:
“I can’t believe we’re sitting here and witnessing this.
“We’ve been watching this game all season and we’ve seen the Leicester team underperform. Individually and collectively they’re nowhere near the level we expect from that group of players.”
“Now it’s happening. They’re not as far out of this situation as we thought they were. Even internally, we probably thought, ‘We’ll be fine.'”
“That’s not what happened and ultimately this is the result.
“When you look at the quality of the players who are trying to applaud the few fans that are left… it’s shocking for them, but it’s even more shocking for the fans because this is a team that was promoted two years ago and has similar players and it’s very tough for them to see that.
“We saw them having financial problems in the Championship, but what about in League One?
“They have an £85m training ground and they need to keep the lights on. They have players who are being paid astronomical wages. I know there will be a pay cut but they will still be receiving astronomical wages for League One.”
“In terms of quality, they will go through League One, but if the players don’t want to play in the Championship, who would want to play in League One?”
“Whoever the manager is, in my opinion he would be happier to see a lot of players leave. That would probably be best for them, but it would also be for the football club to restart because there are people who want to play for them.”
“The rebuilding will be massive.”
Leicester’s finances will take a ‘significant blow’ in League One
Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News:
Leicester will take a big hit to their income in League One next season, with their income predicted to be around 50 per cent lower than in the Championship, meaning they will earn less than a third of what they earned in the Premier League this time last year.
The fall in revenue will be particularly significant for a club that won the Premier League 10 years ago and the FA Cup just five years ago. They enjoyed an annual income of £187m in the top division, but are expected to earn just over £100m by the end of this Championship season, dropping to £60m a year in League One.
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Mark Albrighton says everyone at Leicester City is responsible for the club’s decline, with the 2016 Premier League winners on the brink of relegation to League One.
Despite the drop in revenue, Leicester will remain by far the biggest earners in the division next season. The average income for a League One club is around £10m, one-sixth of Leicester’s.
Leicester’s rapid fall from grace means they will at least have some financial cushion as a result of the Premier League’s parachute payments aimed at softening the blow of relegation to the top flight in 2025. That right would remain the same even if the club were relegated for the second year in a row.
However, these parachute payments will reduce over time, so the amount next season will also be significantly lower (around £10m lower in Leicester’s case). Clubs dropped out of the top division receive approximately 55 per cent of their Premier League qualification in their first year, 45 per cent in their second year and 20 per cent in their third year.
This means that even if Leicester return to the Championship at the first attempt within the next 12 months, their parachute payments will be further reduced for the start of the 2027/28 season.
Leicester’s payroll will have to be reduced by around 30-40 per cent, some of which will naturally occur due to the relegation clause in player contracts. However, there is also a great deal of fluidity in the squad, with many players potentially becoming out of reach for League One clubs or simply deemed too talented to be content playing in England’s third tier.
The most notable of these is Abdel Fattaw, who could have been signed for around £35m when Leicester were relegated from the Premier League last summer.
According to Sky Sports News, a number of top-tier clubs were prepared to pay that amount for him at the time. With Leicester currently in League One, his market value will probably be much lower, perhaps £10m to £15m lower for a potential buyer, but you would hope Leicester would fight for the best possible price.
