How did Sunderland do in 2025/26?

They finished seventh in their first season back, beating Chelsea 2–1 on the final day to qualify for the Europa League, their first European campaign since 1973.

How many league titles have Sunderland won?

Six, between 1892 and 1936, when they were among the dominant clubs of early English football.

Who is Sunderland's manager?

Régis Le Bris, appointed in 2024, who won promotion then took the club to seventh and Europe in his second season. His contract runs to 2028.

ClubPremier League

Sunderland

Q: What happened in the 1973 FA Cup final?

Second Division Sunderland beat Don Revie's Leeds 1–0 through Ian Porterfield's goal and Jimmy Montgomery's famous double save, one of Wembley's great upsets.

Six titles, the 1973 miracle, and now Europe for the first time since.

Founded: 1879
Home: Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Head coach: Régis Le Bris
Nickname: The Black Cats

6English league titles, between 1892 and 1936

1973The FA Cup miracle, 1–0 over Revie's Leeds

7th2025/26 finish, sealing a first European campaign since 1973

228Bobby Gurney goals, the all-time record

627Jimmy Montgomery appearances, the record

48,095Stadium of Light capacity

About Sunderland

Sunderland were founded in 1879 by a schoolmaster, James Allan, and were champions of England six times between 1892 and 1936, the 'team of all the talents' of the Victorian game. The 1973 FA Cup final is the club's modern touchstone: a Second Division side beating Don Revie's Leeds 1–0 through Ian Porterfield's goal and Jimmy Montgomery's double save. The Stadium of Light, on the bank of the Wear, has been home since 1997.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus's young project came of age fast. Promoted through the 2025 play-off final with a 95th-minute Wembley winner, the club spent a promoted-side record £161m, made Granit Xhaka captain, and finished seventh, beating Chelsea on the final day to reach the Europa League, a first European campaign in 53 years. Régis Le Bris, contracted to 2028, now takes a promoted-then-established side into a European season.

Honours

6
English league titles1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913 and 1936
2
FA Cup1937, and the 1973 upset of Leeds as a Second Division club
4
Second-tier titles1996, 1999, and the Championship in 2005 and 2007

Recent form

Seventh in 2025/26 and into the Europa League, sealed by beating Chelsea 2–1 on the final day: the best promoted-side season in a decade, built on a £161m summer and the league's most reliable midfield in Xhaka and Habib Diarra. The squad has been kept together bar Mayenda's sale to Rennes, and the opener at Ipswich starts a season with European Thursdays in it.

Records

All-time top scorerBobby Gurney, 228

Most appearancesJimmy Montgomery, 627

Record signingHabib Diarra, £30m

Key players

Granit XhakaMidfielder, captain
Habib DiarraMidfielder, the record signing
Robin RoefsGoalkeeper
Trai HumeRight-back
Dan BallardCentre-back
Wilson IsidorStriker

Sunderland on Touchline

All games

Premier League · Matchweek 1

Ipswich TownvSunderland

Sat 22 Aug · 15:00 BST · Portman Road, Ipswich

34% IPS29% drawSUN 37%

Frequently asked

Sources

Reference facts (honours, records, venue) are sourced above. Squad and manager details reflect the season this page covers and can change.

Last updated 18 July 2026