Sunderland return to European football after a 53-year absence when they host AZ Alkmaar in their opening UEFA Europa League league-phase match on Wednesday, 16 September. Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 SAST at the Stadium of Light.
The occasion carries unusual weight for the home side. Sunderland have not played a competitive European fixture since the 1973/74 European Cup Winners’ Cup campaign, which followed their FA Cup triumph in 1973. UEFA’s Matchday 1 briefing highlights Sunderland’s return to continental competition after more than five decades away.
AZ arrive with a very different European profile. UEFA lists the Dutch club as the 2025/26 Dutch Cup winners and places them 38th in the coefficient rankings entering the league phase. Sunderland, by contrast, are making their first appearance in the UEFA Cup or Europa League proper.
A demanding first test for Sunderland
That difference in recent continental experience makes AZ a useful early benchmark. The Dutch side reached the Conference League quarter-finals last season and have been regular participants in UEFA competition, while Sunderland are adjusting to the demands of a European schedule for the first time in generations.
AZ’s own official match preview confirms the trip to the Stadium of Light and describes Sunderland as the first stop of their new Europa League campaign. The same club coverage identifies the match as AZ’s shortest trip of the league phase.
Sunderland’s home setting adds another layer to the fixture. The Stadium of Light will host European football for the first time in the club’s modern era, creating a very different backdrop from the domestic matches supporters have become accustomed to.
How the new Europa League format works
This is only the first of eight league-phase matches for each club. All 36 teams sit in one table rather than being divided into traditional groups, with every team facing eight different opponents.
The top eight sides after those eight matches qualify directly for the round of 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs, while clubs placed 25th to 36th are eliminated. That means the opening result matters, but neither side’s campaign will be defined by one night.
UEFA’s confirmed fixture list shows Sunderland travelling to Torreense on Matchday 2, while AZ host Hapoel Beer-Sheva. Both clubs therefore have seven more league-phase fixtures after Wednesday’s opener.
What it means and what happens next
For Sunderland, the immediate objective is to turn the emotion surrounding their European return into a positive start. Three points at home would give them an early platform before a run of unfamiliar continental opponents and away trips.
For AZ, the match offers the chance to use their greater recent European experience against a side returning to this level after a very long absence. Their campaign will also include matches against Juventus and Benfica, so points collected in the opening rounds could become important later in the league phase.
The broader significance, though, belongs to Sunderland. Whatever happens on the night, the fixture marks the end of a 53-year wait for competitive European football on Wearside and the beginning of a new chapter for the club.