Sunderland went from Championship to Europa League football in the space of a year, but just how much can Regis Le Bris' men achieve in their second season? Sunderland 2026-27 season preview

Sunderland's appointment of Regis Le Bris in June 2024 appeared strange, given that he'd just been relegated from Ligue 1 with Lorient. It was a masterstroke: the ex-defender trusted youth to take the Black Cats back to the promised land, then to even greater heights.

Enzo Le Fee's arrival in January 2025 caught the attention – six months after joining Roma for around £20m, he was moving on loan to the Championship. The midfielder quickly helped Sunderland to win promotion, then signed permanently and impressed again in the top tier.

PREMIER LEAGUE: 7th

Brian Brobbey bagged seven goals in all competitions last season for Sunderland.

All seven came in the Premier League, and he added an assist to that haul in 31 appearances.

The kids are all right. Sunderland had the youngest average starting XI in their promotion campaign, then the second youngest (after Chelsea) in the Premier League.

That couldn't stop them dazzling, and Le Bris deserves huge credit for giving youngsters opportunities to play. Robin Roefs, Chemsdine Talbi, Chris Rigg, Habib Diarra and Eliezer Mayenda all found regular game time while under the age of 23. They rarely looked out of place.

Come out on top in the Tyne-Wear derby. For all of last term's heroics, beating Newcastle home and away was the sweetest achievement of all. Brobbey's late St James' Park winner to complete the double in March is a moment that travelling supporters will never forget – nor let their rivals forget.

Pay attention to the doubters. Few neutrals expected Sunderland to survive, let alone finish in the top seven. They became only the fifth newly promoted club to qualify for Europe through league position.

Last season was a fairy tale. We were meant to go down without a trace, not end up in Europe for the first time in 53 years. There's a buzz around the place – the city is on a high and you can feel it.

This season will be different because last season was almost a free hit – now we've set the bar ridiculously high.

The big talking point is if we're prepared for the Thursday-Sunday routine. A reminder: we “weren't prepared for the Premier League” 12 months ago.

Our key player will be Enzo Le Fee. With goals, assists and graft, too, he's probably the most gifted footballer I've ever seen play in red and white. I'm enjoying him while I can.

Look out for 21-year-old midfielder Noah Sadiki, who joined us last year. The reason we're going back to the Moon is to find some ground he hasn't covered yet.

The opposition player who grinds my gears is Joelinton. He's the softest hard man you'll ever see on a football pitch.

Fans think our owner is the best thing to happen to our club in decades.

The one change I'd make at our club is to expand the Stadium of Light. We sell it out every week – people can't get season tickets – so it's time to go above 50,000.

I won't be happy unless we reach the Europa League knockouts. I'd accept a weaker league campaign to make the most of our shot.

We'll finish 12th, after a run to the Europa League final. Dare to dream, eh?

AUGUST

22 Ipswich (A)

29 Fulham (H)

SEPTEMBER

5 Brentford (A)

12 Arsenal (H)

19 Man City (A)

OCTOBER

10 Brighton (H)

17 Bournemouth (A)

24 Leeds (H)

31 Coventry (A)

NOVEMBER

7 Chelsea (H)

21 Aston Villa (A)

28 Tottenham (H)

DECEMBER

2 Liverpool (A)

5 Newcastle (A)

12 Nott'm Forest (H)

19 Crystal Palace (H)

26 Everton (A)

30 Man United (A)

JANUARY

2 Hull City (H)

6 Liverpool (H)

16 Chelsea (A)

23 Coventry (H)

30 Tottenham (A)

FEBRUARY

6 Aston Villa (H)

10 Hull City (A)

20 Everton (H)

27 Crystal Palace (A)

MARCH

3 Man United (H)

13 Brentford (H)

20 Arsenal (A)

APRIL

10 Ipswich (H)

17 Fulham (A)

24 Nott'm Forest (A)

MAY

1 Newcastle (H)

8 Brighton (A)

15 Bournemouth (H)

23 Leeds (A)

30 Man City (H)

Sunderland to win the Premier League title odds: 500/1

FourFourTwo verdict: Sunderland to finish 17th.

A leap from 12th to 7th in the final two games was a reward for bold transfers, even if xG tables (sorry) had them 18th. Pfft! Enjoy Europe and trust that the squad has the strength – if not depth – to survive.