2025–26 Sunderland A.F.C. season

Sunderland
2025–26 season
ChairmanKyril Louis-Dreyfus
Head coachRégis Le Bris
StadiumStadium of Light
Premier LeaguePre-season
FA CupThird round
EFL CupSecond round

The 2025–26 season is the 147th season in the history of Sunderland Association Football Club and their first season back in the Premier League since the 2016–17 season following promotion from the Championship in the preceding season. In addition to the domestic league, the team will also participate in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

Squad

As of Pre-season

Transfers

In

Date Pos. Player From Fee Ref.
1 July 2025[a] CM Enzo Le Fée Roma £19,300,000 [1]
1 July 2025 Habib Diarra RC Strasbourg £30,000,000 [2]
2 July 2025 Matthew Burns Coleraine Undisclosed [3]
4 July 2025 Noah Sadiki Union SG £15,000,000 [4][5]
8 July 2025 LB Reinildo Mandava Atlético Madrid Free [6]
Expenditure: £64,300,000
  1. ^ The transfer was announced on 3 June, and became official on 1 July.

Out

Date Pos. Player To Fee Ref.
1 June 2025[a] LW Tom Watson Brighton & Hove Albion £11,000,000[b] [7]
10 June 2025 CM Jobe Bellingham Borussia Dortmund £32,000,000[c] [8][9]
1 July 2025 GK Nathan Bishop AFC Wimbledon Undisclosed [10]
Income £43,000,000
  1. ^ The transfer was announced on 1 April, and became official on 1 June.
  2. ^ Includes a 20% sell-on clause
  3. ^ Includes a 15% sell-on clause

Loans in

Date Pos. Player From Date until Ref.

Loans out

Date Pos. Player To Date until Ref.
6 July 2025 AM Adil Aouchiche Aberdeen 31 May 2026[a] [11]
  1. ^ Includes an option to make the transfer permanent for £1,500,000.

Released / Out of Contract

Date Pos. Player Subsequent club Join date Ref.
30 June 2025 GK Kelechi Chibueze [12]
RW Aaron Chungh [12]
CB Ben Crompton Ross County 1 July 2025[a] [12][13]
AM Caden Kelly South Shields 1 July 2025[b] [12][14]
CM Cuba Mitchell [12]
CB Daniel Parker [12]
  1. ^ The transfer was announced on 19 June, and became official on 1 July.
  2. ^ The transfer was announced on 23 June, and became official on 1 July.

New Contracts

Date Pos. Player Contract until Ref.
7 July 2025 CM Jaydon Jones Undisclosed[a] [15]
AM Jack Whittaker [15]
8 July 2025 CB Ben Kindon [16]
GK Ben Metcalf [16]
  1. ^ First professional contract

Pre-season and friendlies

On 7 June, Sunderland annouced their initial pre-season schedule, with matches against Gateshead, South Shields, Heart of Midlothian, Hull City and Real Betis.[17] A training camp in Algarve was confirmed along with a friendlies against Sporting CP and Sevilla.[18][19] The final two fixtures of Sunderland's pre-season schedule are against FC Augsburg and Rayo Vallecano.[20]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

12 July 2025 Friendly Gateshead v Sunderland Gateshead
12:30 BST Stadium: Gateshead International Stadium
12 July 2025 Friendly South Shields v Sunderland Jarrow
16:00 BST Stadium: 1st Cloud Arena
19 July 2025 Friendly Sevilla v Sunderland Faro-Loulé, Portugal
20:00 WEST Stadium: Estádio Algarve
21 July 2025 Friendly Sporting CP v Sunderland Faro-Loulé, Portugal
20:00 WEST Stadium: Estádio Algarve
26 July 2025 Friendly Heart of Midlothian v Sunderland Edinburgh, Scotland
15:00 BST Stadium: Tynecastle Park
Note: Testimonial match for Craig Gordon.
29 July 2025 Friendly Hull City v Sunderland Kingston upon Hull
19:45 BST Stadium: MKM Stadium
2 August 2025 Friendly Sunderland v Real Betis Sunderland
15:00 BST Stadium: Stadium of Light
9 August 2025 Friendly FC Augsburg v Sunderland Augsburg, Germany
14:00 BST Stadium: Augsburg Arena
10 August 2025 Friendly Sunderland v Rayo Vallecano Sunderland
16:30 BST Stadium: Stadium of Light

Competitions

Overall record

Competition First match Last match Starting round Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
Premier League 16 August 2025 24 May 2026 Matchday 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
FA Cup January 2026 Third round 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
EFL Cup August 2025 Second round 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—

Last updated: pre-season
Source: Soccerway

Premier League

Main article: 2025–26 Premier League

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
15 Newcastle United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 Nottingham Forest 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
17 Sunderland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 Tottenham Hotspur 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Relegation to EFL Championship
19 West Ham United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 15 August 2025. Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) If the champions, relegated teams or qualified teams for UEFA competitions cannot be determined by rules 1 to 3, rules 4.1 to 4.3 are applied – 4.1) Points gained in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.2) Away goals scored in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.3) Play-offs[21]

Results summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Last updated: pre-season.
Source: Soccerway

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
Ground
Result
Position
Points
Source: Premier League
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; P = Postponed

Matches

On 18 June, the Premier League fixtures were released with a home game against West Ham United to kick-off the season.[22]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

16 August 2025 1 Sunderland v West Ham United Sunderland
15:00 BST Stadium: Stadium of Light
23 August 2025 2 Burnley v Sunderland Burnley
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Turf Moor
30 August 2025 3 Sunderland v Brentford Sunderland
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
13 September 2025 4 Crystal Palace v Sunderland Selhurst
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Selhurst Park
20 September 2025 5 Sunderland v Aston Villa Sunderland
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
27 September 2025 6 Nottingham Forest v Sunderland West Bridgford
15:00 BST Report Stadium: City Ground
4 October 2025 7 Manchester United v Sunderland Old Trafford
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Old Trafford
18 October 2025 8 Sunderland v Wolverhampton Wanderers Sunderland
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
25 October 2025 9 Chelsea v Sunderland Fulham
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Stamford Bridge
1 November 2025 10 Sunderland v Everton Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
8 November 2025 11 Sunderland v Arsenal Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
22 November 2025 12 Fulham v Sunderland Fulham
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Craven Cottage
29 November 2025 13 Sunderland v Bournemouth Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
3 December 2025 14 Liverpool v Sunderland Liverpool
20:00 GMT Report Stadium: Anfield
6 December 2025 15 Manchester City v Sunderland Manchester
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
13 December 2025 16 Sunderland v Newcastle United Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
20 December 2025 17 Brighton & Hove Albion v Sunderland Brighton and Hove
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Falmer Stadium
27 December 2025 18 Sunderland v Leeds United Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
30 December 2025 19 Sunderland v Manchester City Sunderland
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
3 January 2026 20 Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland Tottenham
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
7 January 2026 21 Brentford v Sunderland Brentford
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Brentford Community Stadium
17 January 2026 22 Sunderland v Crystal Palace Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
24 January 2026 23 West Ham United v Sunderland Stratford
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: London Stadium
31 January 2026 24 Sunderland v Burnley Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
7 February 2026 25 Arsenal v Sunderland Holloway
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Emirates Stadium
11 February 2026 26 Sunderland v Liverpool Sunderland
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
21 February 2026 27 Sunderland v Fulham Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
28 February 2026 28 Bournemouth v Sunderland Bournemouth
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Dean Court
4 March 2026 29 Leeds United v Sunderland Leeds
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Elland Road
14 March 2026 30 Sunderland v Brighton & Hove Albion Sunderland
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
21 March 2026 31 Newcastle United v Sunderland Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00 GMT Report Stadium: St James' Park
11 April 2026 32 Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur Sunderland
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
18 April 2026 33 Aston Villa v Sunderland Birmingham
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Villa Park
25 April 2026 34 Sunderland v Nottingham Forest Sunderland
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
2 May 2026 35 Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sunderland Wolverhampton
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Molineux Stadium
9 May 2026 36 Sunderland v Manchester United Sunderland
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Stadium of Light
17 May 2026 37 Everton v Sunderland Liverpool
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Everton Stadium
24 May 2026 38 Sunderland v Chelsea Sunderland
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Stadium of Light

FA Cup

Main article: 2025–26 FA Cup

As a Premier League side, Sunderland will enter the FA Cup in the third round.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

January 2026 Third round TBC v TBC TBC
TBC GMT Report Stadium: TBC

EFL Cup

Main article: 2025–26 EFL Cup

As one of the Premier League clubs not participating in European competitions, Sunderland will enter the EFL Cup in the second round.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

August 2025 Second round TBC v TBC TBC
TBC BST Report Stadium: TBC

Statistics

As of pre-season

Appearances and goals

Players with no appearances are not included on the list, italics indicate a loaned in player.

No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup EFL Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals

Disciplinary record

As of pre-season

Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by squad number when disciplinary points / points per card / number of cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.

Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name Premier League FA Cup EFL Cup Total
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Notes

References

  1. ^ "We've got Le Fée: Enzo agrees four-year deal". Sunderland AFC. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  2. ^ "Habib Diarra signs for Sunderland". Sunderland AFC. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  3. ^ "Matthew Burns signs scholarship". Sunderland AFC. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Sadiki signs five-year deal at Sunderland". Sunderland AFC. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Sunderland sign Sadiki from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise". British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Reinildo Mandava signs for Sunderland". Sunderland. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Watson agrees Brighton move". Sunderland AFC. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Jobe Bellingham departs for Dortmund". Sunderland AFC. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Sunderland midfielder completes move to Borussia Dortmund". Sky Sports. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Nathan Bishop joins AFC Wimbledon". Sunderland AFC. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Adil Aouchiche joins Aberdeen on loan". Sunderland AFC. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "2025-26 retained list submitted". Sunderland AFC. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Ben Crompton joins the Staggies". Ross County FC. 19 June 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Caden Kelly signs for South Shields FC". South Shields FC. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Jack Whittaker and Jaydon Jones sign pro contracts". Sunderland AFC. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Ben Metcalf and Ben Kindon sign pro contracts". Sunderland AFC. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  17. ^ "2025 Pre-season schedule". Sunderland AFC. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Sunderland to face Sporting CP in Portugal". Sunderland AFC. 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Sunderland to Face Sevilla FC in Pre-Season Clash at Estádio Algarve". Sunderland AFC. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  20. ^ "Sunderland to face Augsburg and Rayo Vallecano". Sunderland A.F.C. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Premier League Handbook 2022/23" (PDF). Premier League. pp. 109–111. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Sunderland's 2025-26 Premier League fixtures confirmed!". Sunderland AFC. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
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