May 24 2026 is a day that we’ll not forget in a long time — much like we won’t forget May 24 2025 in just as long.
Walking to the Stadium of Light on the final day of the Premier League season, with Chelsea as the visitors, was special. The sun was shining; the city was bouncing, and it just felt like everything would go for us.
Thankfully, it did.
Our 2-1 win sealed seventh place and the Europa League. It set us up for a summer of enjoyment and tomorrow — three months later — we’ll be back in the Stadium
of Light for the first time since this wonderful day to face Fulham, ironically the only team who did the double over us last year.
The summer has been one of patience on the transfer market and excitement for the World Cup, and watching some of the Lads starring on the biggest stage there is…and the wait for the return of League action to the Stadium of Light is almost over.
The weather is set to be good again, and with plenty of pre-season optimism. The knowledge of knowing who we’ll be playing in the Europa League will make for a fantastic afternoon and with any luck, this continues during and after the game.
It’s great seeing the Stadium of Light packed to the rafters for home games at the moment, and with Fulham returning hundreds of tickets, there’ll be an even bigger number of Sunderland fans in the stands on Sunday.
It may not be as much of an occasion as Chelsea or West Ham last season, but every occasion watching the lads in red and white has felt like a blessing of late.
We could have three new players making their first home league appearances, with Dayann Méthalie and Jules Ahoka possibly set to appear for the club for the very first time — if the ‘new player factor’ plays into the occasion, we really could be in for a great afternoon.
The first home game doesn’t just mean the return of going to the Stadium of Light — there’s also the return of the match day rituals and routines. We all have them, and for the first time since the 2019-20 season, I’ll be at the first home match of a campaign after being at the last game of the season just gone.
For me, this means getting a minibus from Peterlee, a few pints in the Fans’ Museum and a dash over to the ground. Routines like this will be taking place across the North East on Sunday, with journeys all ending at what will hopefully be a sun-kissed stadium.
With the Europa League draw done and dusted and the transfer deadline day looming on the horizon, tomorrow’s game against Fulham is a great chance to get our first points of the season on the board and then crack on into what will be a tough month.
However, we’ve been through tougher periods as a fanbase, and kickstarting an exciting 2026/2027 season can happen as early as Sunday afternoon.
