Sunderland vs West Ham United Full Match 2025-26 • fullmatch

Sunderland vs West Ham United Full Match 2025-26.

Sunderland vs West Ham United Full Match Highlights — Sunderland vs West Ham United Full Match 2025-26

Sunderland vs West Ham United Full Match Replay.
Full Match & Highlights Premier League 2025-2026

Full Match Highlights – Full Match Replay
English Commentary
August 16, 2025

Following an eight-year exile from the Premier League which saw Sunderland sink to the third tier and rise once again, the Black Cats finally make their first appearance back among the elite as they welcome top-flight mainstays West Ham United. Sunderland picked up one of their 24-point haul when relegated in 2016/17 against West Ham United and have not played them in any competition since, while the Londoners are unbeaten in their last eight H2Hs (W4, D4).

It has been a summer of change at Sunderland since the departed Tommy Watson scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner in the play-off final, before signing ten new players at the time of writing, including proven Premier League talent such as Granit Xhaka and Simon Adingra. Such upheaval brings with it a degree of uncertainty compared with the unbridled joy of promotion, and given that each of the last six promoted English top-flight sides have all suffered immediate relegation, starting strongly is paramount in Sunderland’s bid for survival.

Fresh from their second 14th-placed finish across the last three seasons, West Ham United also enter the new campaign after experiencing significant change over the summer. The sale of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham along with the departures of a number of long-serving players means we will see a new-look Hammers side here. Strong performances in the pre-season Premier League Summer Series (W2, L1) will give fans some sense of optimism ahead of the restart, yet this is now where it truly counts.

Sunderland have lost 1-0 in each of their last three regular-season home games. Sunderland have failed to win any of their last nine season-opening Premier League matches (D3, L6). West Ham United were unbeaten in eight of their 11 league games as pre-match favourites last term (W5, D3, L3). West Ham United have lost just one of their last eight away league matches against promoted opponents (W6, D1).

Sunderland’s new midfield general Granit Xhaka has won more Premier League games against West Ham United (W10, D3, L1) than any other side in his career, also assisting in his last home meeting against them. Jarrod Bowen remains arguably West Ham’s most influential player with 56 goals in 193 top-flight appearances for the Irons – and now has the opportunity to score in the club’s opening away game for a third straight season.

West Ham United’s only likely injury absentee is Crysencio Summerville, while Luke O’Nien, Dennis Cirkin and Romaine Mundle are among those out for Sunderland.