Sunderland’s first European home game since 1973 kicks off at the Stadium of Light at 20.00 BST tonight, and here is how to watch the Sunderland v AZ Alkmaar live stream.
| Live Streaming | Date | Kick off Time | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland v AZ Alkmaar | 16 September 2026 | 20.00 BST | TNT Sports 1 |
Sunderland v AZ Alkmaar on TV: Live Stream Details
Sunderland v AZ Alkmaar is on TNT Sports 1, with the game also carried on TNT Sports Ultimate and streamed through HBO Max. Kick off at the Stadium of Light is 20.00 BST on Wednesday 16 September 2026, on the opening matchday of the Europa League league phase.
Five seasons ago Sunderland were playing in the third tier of English football. Tonight they host the holders of the Dutch cup in the Europa League, which covers most of what has happened on Wearside since, and seventh place in the Premier League last season was the leap that got them here.
It is their first fixture in UEFA competition since 1973. The last European night at this ground brought a 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Cup Winners’ Cup, after which Sunderland went out 3-2 on aggregate, so there will not be many in the stands tonight who saw the previous one.
Domestic form has been patchy rather than bad. Two wins, a draw and two defeats from five games in all competitions is the record, most recently a 1-0 cup win over Hull City followed by a 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal on Saturday that left Regis Le Bris frustrated at going toe to toe with the champions and getting nothing for it.
Five of their last nine league games at the Stadium of Light have ended in defeat, and Manchester City away comes next.
Habib Diarra and Romaine Mundle are both still injured, while Chemsdine Talbi, Jocelin Ta Bi, Melker Ellborg, Alan Browne and Aji Alese were all left out of the Europa League squad entirely. Reinildo Mandava was sent off against Arsenal but the suspension only applies domestically, so he is available, and Malick Fofana is pushing hard for a first start.
AZ finished seventh in the Eredivisie last season and are in this competition anyway, having won the KNVB Beker for a fifth time by taking NEC apart 5-1 in April’s final. Leeroy Echteld then beat champions PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in the Johan Cruyff Shield for good measure.
Their league start is the joint second best in the club’s history, five wins and a draw from six, with Den Haag, FC Utrecht, Fortuna Sittard, Go Ahead Eagles and Heerenveen all beaten before Willem II equalised with nine minutes left on Friday. That leaves them second and level on points with PSV at the top. Ro-Zangelo Daal has five goals in seven appearances.
Kees Smit misses out with a groin problem, as do Denso Kasius and Stije Resink, and goalkeeper Hobie Verhulst is ineligible. Jordy Clasie, once of Southampton, captains the side.
What might encourage the home crowd is how badly this has tended to go for AZ against English clubs, who have beaten them in 14 of 22 meetings and lost only three.
They were beaten 3-1 at Crystal Palace in the Conference League last season, though they did see off Tottenham 1-0 at home in a Europa League last-16 tie the year before that.
