Sunderland host AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Wednesday for their first major European match in 52 years and 313 days—commonly described as 53 years. The occasion caps a rapid revival from League One, but the club are managed by Régis Le Bris, not Philippe Le Bris, and this is their first meeting with AZ rather than their inaugural European appearance.
The match kicks off at 8 p.m. BST at the Stadium of Light and opens Sunderland’s Europa League league-phase campaign. It is the club’s first game in major European competition since November 7, 1973, when Sunderland exited the Cup Winners’ Cup against Sporting Lisbon. Their last European match on home soil was the 2–1 first-leg win over Sporting in that tie.
Sunderland’s European return follows a remarkable recent rise. The club were competing in England’s third tier only five seasons ago, returned to the Premier League in 2025 and then finished seventh in 2025–26 to qualify for the Europa League.
Le Bris has described the occasion as an important marker of Sunderland’s progress. “It’s a symbol for the club,” he said. “We are getting better, the momentum is big and for our fans it is going to be crazy, to be fair.” He added that the team had earned the opportunity through consistency during last season’s campaign and must now show “desire,” “togetherness” and a connection with supporters.
Granit Xhaka will lead Sunderland as captain. The 33-year-old’s European experience is considerable: only eight players have made more Europa League appearances since 2009–10 than Xhaka’s 63. His most recent appearance in the competition came in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2024 final defeat to Atalanta.
Xhaka has said that reaching the Europa League final with Sunderland would be “a big dream” and expects the Stadium of Light to be “on fire” for the club’s return to Europe. “Last season, we wrote something in our history to be back after 53 years,” he said. “You can feel the excitement from the people as well.”
Sunderland enter the match after a 2–0 home defeat to Arsenal, in which they created several second-half chances but could not convert them. Le Bris is expected to field a strong side, with Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, Granit Xhaka, Enzo Le Fée and Brian Brobbey among the senior players likely to be involved.
AZ represent a serious opening opponent. The Dutch side are unbeaten in the Eredivisie and arrive in stronger recent form, although they have lost all 11 previous UEFA matches played in England. Sunderland and AZ have never previously faced each other.
The occasion is therefore both celebratory and competitive. Sunderland’s return to Europe rewards a steep rise from the lower divisions, but Le Bris and Xhaka will want the Stadium of Light’s first European night in more than half a century to become the beginning of a meaningful Europa League campaign rather than simply a nostalgic milestone.
