Sunderland's Stadium of Light set for European return after five-decade-long wait

[p]Just over four years ago the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sunderland/WSzc94ws/"]Black Cats[/a] were languishing in League One - the third tier of English football.[/p][p]But they won promotion to the Championship in 2022 and climbed into the Premier League via the play-offs in May 2025, finishing a surprise seventh in their first season back in the big time.[/p][p]The northeast club have a storied history - only six clubs have more top-flight English titles -- but the sixth and last of those came way back in 1936.[/p][p]Sunderland were a byword for glamour in the 1950s, dubbed the "Bank of England club" due to their heavy spending.[/p][p]But they had relatively little to show for their outlay and last won a major trophy in 1973, when they beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/leeds/tUxUbLR2/"]Leeds[/a] in the FA Cup final.[/p][p]Despite their prolonged stagnation, the club, about 12 miles (19 kilometres) from bitter rivals [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/newcastle-utd/p6ahwuwJ/"]Newcastle[/a], remained one of the best supported in England, attracting crowds of 30,000-plus even in League One.[/p][p]Now the 49,000-capacity Stadium of Light, opened in 1997, is staging Premier League football again and preparing to host continental football for the first time.[/p][p]The European journey is rich reward for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, son of the late [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/marseille/SblU3Hee/"]Marseille[/a] owner and billionaire Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who bought a stake in the club in 2021 and has since increased his shareholding.[/p][image alt="Sunderland's recent results" id="2dc39f0c-db5a-454d-9fd3-21940f7e339d" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="b96d800b-787c-4d69-8139-9ccd693dc34b" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]The appointment of Regis Le Bris as head coach in June 2024 proved a masterstroke - the Frenchman took the club back into the Premier League at the first attempt and they defied the odds last season.[/p][p]Sunderland, led by inspirational captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/xhaka-granit/QBHCDKff/"]Granit Xhaka[/a], are now [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/az-alkmaar-2RxOow1i/sunderland-WSzc94ws/?mid=tS8KzAA7"]gearing up to face[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/az-alkmaar/2RxOow1i/"]AZ Alkmaar[/a] after a patchy start to their season.[/p][p][b]"It's a symbol for the club. We are getting better, the momentum is big and for our fans it is going be crazy to be fair,[/b]" Le Bris told TNT Sports.[/p][p]"We are really proud to be in this position. We earned this opportunity last season with a great season. We had tough moments but at the end we stayed consistent."[/p][p]He added: [b]"It's important to show our desire, to show the city, our togetherness, the connection with our fans."[/b][/p][h2]Sunderland joy[/h2][p]For fans of Sunderland, the journey in recent years has been dizzying.[/p][p][b]"Supporting Sunderland has gone from being a solemn duty, which you used to curse the misfortune of your postcode and/or your parents for, to something that, for the first time in generations, is bringing joy to people's lives,"[/b] Michael Lough wrote on the Wise Men Say website.[/p][p]"Usually, the higher up the pyramid you go, the hollower and more soulless the experience becomes, and the wider the disconnect between the fans and the players grows.[/p][p][b]"Regis Le Bris likes to use the word 'connected' in his press conferences, and I can't remember the last time the city, the players, the fans and the club felt this level of connection."[/b][/p][embed guid="d77850a4-169f-4490-aa56-e7b45401ab90" url="https://x.com/SunderlandAFC/status/2099573902251077868" social-type="twitter" /][p]Joining Sunderland in the Europa League this season are [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bournemouth/OtpNdwrc/"]Bournemouth[/a], who are playing continental football for the first time in their history.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/iraola-andoni/xpALVpwq/"]Andoni Iraola[/a] led the southcoast club to a sixth-place finish last season but then left for the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] hot seat, meaning [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rose-marko/pfoInmcq/"]Marco Rose[/a] will be in charge.[/p][p]Bournemouth, who travel to Spain to face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-sociedad/jNvak2f3/"]Real Sociedad[/a] on Thursday, are yet to win in the Premier League this season despite leading in all four games after developing a frustrating habit of conceding late goals.[/p][p][b]"Everyone here in Bournemouth is looking forward to this game,"[/b] said German coach Rose. [b]"It's going to be a special night for the club against top opposition. I'm really proud to be part of this."[/b][/p][p]A third English club, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/crystal-palace/AovF1Mia/"]Crystal Palace[/a], are in the Europa League courtesy of winning the UEFA Conference League last season.[/p][p]Premier League clubs have dominated the competition in recent seasons thanks to their vast resources with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Aston Villa[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham[/a] winning the Europa League in the past two seasons.[/p][p]But the more unheralded trio of English clubs this time could balance the playing field up against some of Europe's biggest clubs such as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-milan/8Sa8HInO/"]AC Milan[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/juventus/C06aJvIB/"]Juventus[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/benfica/zBkyuyRI/"]Benfica[/a].[/p]