Congratulations, that is your club
Welcome to Sunderland. You are Black Cats now, if you want to be.
Nothing is binding here and nobody is checking. Plenty of people follow more than one club, and plenty change their mind in the first season. Everything below is what to know as you start.
A north-east club with one of the largest and most loyal supports in England, who fell all the way to the third tier and came back. Tens of thousands kept turning up throughout, which is the whole story of the club.
Club facts
- League
- Premier League
- Position
- 7th, 54 points
- Founded
- 1879
- Stadium
- Stadium of Light
- Colours
- Red / White
- Nickname
- The Black Cats
Last season
Sunderland finished 7th in the Premier League with 54 points from 38 matches: 14 won, 12 drawn, 12 lost. That is around the places that qualify for the Europa League and Conference League, a level below the Champions League. That is the 2025-26 season; 2026-27 has only just kicked off.
When they next play
The first question most new supporters have. Kickoff times are shown as dates here; exact times shift for television.
- Sat, Aug 22Away against Ipswich Town
- Sun, Aug 30Home against Fulham
- Sat, Sep 5Away against Brentford
- Sat, Sep 12Home against Arsenal
- Sat, Sep 19Away against Man City
Fixture list retrieved 2026-08-04. Matches move.
What to know before you follow them
Sunderland supporters have had a decade of disappointment and are wary of being told it is about to get better. The rivalry with Newcastle is the fiercest in England and it is not friendly.
The colours and the crowd
Supporters are known as Black Cats.
- Red
#eb172b - White
#ffffff
What people sing
Can't Help Falling in Love / Sunderland songs
Modern terrace favourites mix with older north-east songs. The noise is the point.
Who the rivals are
Newcastle United
The Tyne-Wear derby. Among the bitterest in England, and not a joke to make lightly.
Following them from America
Helped by the Netflix years and by a diaspora that never stopped watching.
Strongest in
The squad
29 players. 10 played at the 2026 World Cup.
Goalkeeper
Defender
Midfielder
Forward
What next
Identity, table and squad from football-data.org. Club description and culture notes are ours and have not been editorially verified. Terms of use.