After almost a decade, Sunderland and Newcastle meet again in the Premier League

Nine years later, Sunderland and Newcastle face each other again in a Premier League match, this Sunday (14), at 11 a.m. (Brasilia time), at the Stadium of Light. The match will not be like any other, it will be the first edition of the Tyne-Wear Derby in the elite of English football after a decade.

The Black Cats and Magpies have two of the biggest fans in the north-east region of England, close to the border with Scotland, and just 12 miles separate the two cities. The proximity means that the two fans maintain a fierce rivalry.

The first confrontation between the two teams took place on December 24, 1898, and since then, matches between the two teams have become symbols of intensity, fighting and extreme competitiveness. In 127 years of history, the teams have delivered a balanced confrontation, with 54 victories for Newcastle, 52 for Sunderland and 49 draws in official matches.

The name Tyne-Wear Derby comes from one of the rivers which flow through the two towns. Unlike many rivalries in English football, the derby between the two teams has never been about achievement, with the Black Cats not having won a domestic title since 1973 and the Magpies most recently winning the English League Cup last season. For this reason, the classic has always had symbolic importance for both fans.

Nine smooth years in the Premier League

However, the two teams went almost a decade without facing each other in the Premier League and, as a result, the 1-1 draw, at St James Park, home of the Magpies, in March 2016, was the last clash between the two teams in the top flight of English football and, since then, both teams have had similar years.

Two months after their last clash in the elite of English football, Newcastle were relegated to the Championship, but returned the following year. In 2017, a year after the fall of their rival, Sunderland were relegated to the bottom of the ladder, enduring one of the worst campaigns in Premier League history.

Despite being a team recently promoted to the Championship and, on paper, one of the favourites, the Black Cats ended up being relegated to England’s Third Division in 2018 and spent four years in League One only to return to the Second Division in 2022. Amidst all this, the team nearly went bankrupt, struggled financially and changed ownership twice during that time, but managed to get back on their feet.

Over the past two years, the Black Cats have managed to stabilize in second place in England and returned to the Premier League in 2025 after beating Sheffield United 2-1 at lights out in the playoffs.

In contrast, Newcastle survived in the Premier League with an administration very unpopular with supporters, but repeatedly flirted with relegation to the Championship. However, the team was bought by the consortium led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and since then the Magpies have been battling at the top of the table.

meeting

Last year’s FA Cup third round draw saw the two teams face off again in the third round of the competition. On the pitch, the Magpies won 3-0, with goals from Ballard (own goal) and Alexander Isak scoring twice.

The defeat contributed to the dismissal of Michael Beale, former assistant to Rogério Ceni, who is the coach who made the quickest transition in the history of the Black Cats. The match was also marked by a mega police operation carried out by the Sunderland city police to avoid clashes between the two supporters.

The return of the Tyne-Wear Derby to the Premier League will be important for the competition picture. Sunderland are in 9th place with 23 points, while Newcastle are just behind in 12th with 22 points. As a result, only a few points separate the rivals of Crystal Palace, the team which opens the G-4 of the competition.