For the first time since the 1973-1974 season, Sunderland will be taking part in a European competition, as they sealed a seventh place spot and a place in the UEFA Europa League for next season on the final day of the 2025/2026 Premier League season.
A spectacular 2-1 victory over Chelsea, paired with Brentford drawing at Liverpool and Brighton getting dismantled by Manchester United, sent the Black Cats climbing to seventh in the table.
Entering the final day as heavily favored relegation candidates before a ball had even been kicked this season, Regis Le Bris’s young side turned the final day into a masterclass of collective defiance.
If you had told a Sunderland fan four years ago when they were routinely welcoming Scunthorpe United, Walsall, and Fleetwood Town to the Stadium of Light, they would have snapped your hand in half.
Back then, the club looked like they lacked direction. In 2017, they were relegated back to the Championship under the stewardship of David Moyes. One would have expected they would be back at the first time of asking, but things went from bad to worse, as they then got relegated to League One.
The cameras of the Sunderland 'Til I Die Netflix documentary captured every agonising second of it: Executive dysfunction, fractured identities, and three consecutive playoff failures in the third-tier purgatory of League One.
It was a city desperate to find hope in a faded industrial hub where the local mood was inextricably chained to the fortunes of the football club. Now, they are smiling again. But how exactly did they turn around the picture?
Striver.Football analyses how the Wearside-based outfit can dare to dream again, and maybe perhaps, even surpass more expectations.
Granit Xhaka Became the Cultural Reset Sunderland Needed
As originally reported by ESPN, the foundation of the revival was built off a series of data-led post mortems. Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman and owner Kyrill Louis-Drryfus spent months dissecting six years of newly promoted Premier League sides.
They realised that survival in the top flight required a side that had an ideal balance of youth, experience and elite leadership.
That is when the decision to sign Granit Xhaka was made. The former Arsenal star was preparing to fly out to pre-season with Bayer Leverkusen to Brazil when his phone lit up five times in a row.
"To be honest, I had the feeling someone was joking with me," Xhaka recalled. "Usually nobody from a club calls so late. He said he’s Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and he’s the owner of Sunderland."
Xhaka had turned down offers from sides like AC Milan, but having watched that documentary, he understood the club’s volatile fan base and their desire for change. Such was the fanbase’s loyalty, the Stadium of Light still averaged 32,000-spectator attendance at the club.
Xhaka, who was buoyed by the need to revive a historic club, convinced his family, signed the contract, and immediately set about overhauling the culture on Wearside.
Despite only being a player, the midfielder forced strict nutrition overhauls, deliberately sat beside academy players during team meals, and set an infectious, unforgiving standard in daily training sessions.
How Regis Le Bris Transformed Sunderland’s Identity
Le Bris, a 29-year old businessman, chose to appoint Regis de Bris from Lorient. The French coach only had two years of senior coaching experience.
The common blueprint for promoted clubs is typically “parking the bus” by making themselves unbeatable, while capitalising on counter-attacking situations or deadball situations to deliver respectable results.
De Bris was different.
Appointing him in 2024, De Bris adopted bold, creative, and aggressively industrious tactics. Under his guidance, the Black Cats implemented a fierce man-to-man press against the elite of the division. This earned them promotion back to the Premier League.
De Bris’ charges gained credible draws against sides like Liverpool and Arsenal, before beating sworn rivals Newcastle in December.
Across the season, Sunderland scored six goals after the 80th minute across the campaign, characterised by what forward Wilson Isidor described as a "rage to defend the jersey."
Sunderland Overcome Chelsea to Clinch Europa League Football
Fast forward back to May 24, and all the structures in place came to light at the very Stadium of Light.
Sunderland opened the scoring in the 25th minute through an unlikely source. A towering, long punt upfield from goalkeeper Robin Roefs was expertly flicked on by veteran utility man Luke O’Nien.
Trai Hume timed his run perfectly, hitting a superb, instinctual volley past a stranded Robert Sanchez.
Five minutes into the second half, the roof nearly blew off the stadium. Striker Brian Brobbey scuffed an attempt across the face of goal, forcing Chelsea defender Malo Gusto into an outstretched block that inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.
Though Cole Palmer pulled a goal back for the Blues just six minutes later with a sharp strike from the edge of the box, the visitors' momentum evaporated in the 62nd minute. Wesley Fofana, struggling to cope with Le Bris's high-pressing counter-attack, pulled back substitute Wilson Isidor to pick up his second yellow card.
Down to 10 men, Chelsea were fractured. Sunderland's young backline managed the closing stages with staggering maturity, registering an expected goals (xG) dominance of 1.93 to Chelsea's 0.9. When the final whistle blew, a wall of pure euphoria swept across Wearside.
Sunderland’s final tally of 54 points marks the most by a newly promoted side since Leeds United in 2020-21, and matches Wolves’ iconic seventh-place finish in 2018-2019.
"It’s an important step and it shows that anything is possible in football," Le Bris said during his closing remarks through the stadium’s public announcement system, while Louis-Dreyfus embraced him.
"Especially when you are working hard, representing the community, and staying humble. We feel the dynamic of the club. We are growing fast, but the structure underneath is strong."
Thursday nights in Europe await. With the city also in the midst of a transition to modern-glass culture infrastructure, so will the club while embarking on exciting European nights inside Wearside.
