Wrexham FC - Sunderland live - Football

Wrexham FC and Sunderland meet at Subaru Park in Philadelphia on 2 August 2026 at 17:00 BST as part of the Premier League Summer Series. The Red Dragons arrive in outstanding pre-season form - back-to-back wins over Manchester United and Leeds - while Sunderland, who secured Europa League football after a seventh-place Premier League finish on 54 points, look to bounce back from a 2-4 defeat to Liverpool. The two clubs have only met six times competitively in their histories, with the last encounter dating back over 46 years to 1980, giving this Philadelphia clash a rare and fascinating historical dimension.

Match Info: Wrexham FC vs Sunderland

The match takes place on Sunday, 2 August 2026, at 17:00 BST at Subaru Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the Premier League Summer Series - a pre-season tour bringing English clubs to the United States ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Where to Watch Wrexham FC vs Sunderland?

English and Welsh viewers can catch the game on Premier Sports 1 on television, with BBC iPlayer and Premier Sports Player available for online streaming. Fans in Wales have the additional option of S4C Clic, while Irish supporters can tune in via Premier Sports 1 on TV or Premier Sports Player online.

In the United States, ESPN broadcasts the fixture on television, with ESPN Select and Fubo TV as streaming alternatives. Supporters around the world can also follow the action on Onefootball, which offers global digital coverage of the match.

Australian fans can watch on Stan Sport, Norwegian viewers have VG+, Swedish supporters can access Sport Bladet Play, and Turkey is covered by beIN CONNECT Turkey. In Brazil, the match is available on Claro TV+ and Zapping; in Japan on DAZN; in Portugal on Sport TV2 (television) and Sport TV Multiscreen (online). Across Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, the Congo, Nigeria and South Africa are all served by StarTimes App and Startimes World Football.

Match between Wrexham FC and Sunderland - Preview

This meeting at Subaru Park pits a Championship club on an upward trajectory against a Premier League side preparing for European competition - one of the most compelling match-ups in the Premier League Summer Series 2026.

Wrexham head into the game on the back of a historic 2025/26 Championship campaign: seventh place on 71 points, missing out on the playoff positions by just two. Phil Parkinson's men have carried that confidence directly into pre-season. A 1-0 win over Manchester United in Helsinki - the Red Devils' opening game under new manager Michael Carrick - was followed by a 3-2 victory against Leeds in Tampa on 25 July in the Summer Series, with Kieffer Moore striking inside the opening minute and Sam Smith scoring the winner for the second successive game. Three pre-season fixtures played, two won, one drawn.

Sunderland arrive as a Premier League club with fresh European ambitions. Régis Le Bris guided the Black Cats to 54 points and seventh place in 2025/26, earning a Europa League berth - a remarkable achievement for a club not long since promoted. However, the 2-4 loss to Liverpool in Nashville on 25 July means the Philadelphia fixture carries an extra edge for the Black Cats, who need a sharper performance ahead of the Premier League kick-off on 21 August.

Head-to-Head: Wrexham FC vs Sunderland

These two clubs have met just six times in competitive football across their entire histories, with all six encounters packed into a three-year window between 1977 and 1980. Sunderland hold the advantage, winning 3, drawing 2, and losing just 1 of those meetings.

Below is a complete list of all competitive matches between Wrexham and Sunderland:

• 07.04.1980 - League Division Two - Wrexham 0:1 Sunderland
• 26.12.1979 - League Division Two - Sunderland 1:1 Wrexham
• 05.05.1979 - League Division Two - Wrexham 1:2 Sunderland
• 07.03.1979 - League Division Two - Sunderland 1:0 Wrexham
• 12.01.1977 - FA Cup (3rd Round Replay) - Wrexham 1:0 Sunderland
• 08.01.1977 - FA Cup (3rd Round) - Sunderland 2:2 Wrexham

Wrexham FC - Recent Form

Wrexham enter the Sunderland fixture having won 2 of their 3 pre-season outings and keeping a clean sheet in both victories - a strong sign of defensive organisation heading into the summer tour.

The Red Dragons opened their 2026/27 pre-season with a goalless draw against Wisła Kraków in Poland on 11 July, before travelling to Helsinki for one of the summer's biggest upsets: a 1-0 win over Manchester United on 18 July, against a side managed by Michael Carrick for the first time. Phil Parkinson's team then made their US tour debut in Tampa on 25 July, beating Leeds United 3-2 in the Summer Series - Kieffer Moore struck in the opening minute, Bailey Cadamarteri restored the lead after Leeds levelled, and Sam Smith scored the decisive goal for the second successive game.

That momentum builds on a remarkable season in the Championship, where Wrexham finished seventh on 71 points - the best league position in the club's history, achieved just three years after their return to the Football League in 2023.

Sunderland - Recent Form

Sunderland approach this fixture having just completed their best Premier League season in years - a seventh-place finish on 54 points brought Europa League football back to the Stadium of Light for the first time in decades.

The Black Cats closed the 2025/26 Premier League campaign strongly: a goalless draw with Manchester United on 9 May was followed by a commanding 3-1 win at Everton on 17 May, and then a 2-1 home victory over Chelsea on the final day to confirm European qualification. In pre-season, they beat York City 5-1 on 18 July, but then suffered a 2-4 reverse against Liverpool in Nashville on 25 July - a scoreline that underlined there is still work to be done as the new season approaches.

With the Premier League starting on 21 August, the clash against Wrexham at Subaru Park is one of Sunderland's final pre-season opportunities to sharpen their shape and build the cohesion Le Bris will need when competitive football resumes.

Facts and Statistics

Wrexham FC and Sunderland are two of English football's most storied clubs, yet their paths on the pitch have crossed remarkably rarely. All six of their competitive meetings took place in a narrow three-year window between 1977 and 1980, making the August 2026 encounter the first in over 46 years.

• In 6 competitive meetings, Sunderland won 3, drew 2, and lost 1, scoring 7 goals and conceding 5.
• Wrexham's only competitive win over Sunderland came on 12 January 1977 in an FA Cup 3rd Round Replay - a 1-0 home victory at Racecourse Ground in front of 16,023 fans.
• All four league meetings between the clubs came in League Division Two across the 1978/79 and 1979/80 seasons, with Sunderland winning 3 of those 4 matches.
• Sunderland earned a record 22 points from losing positions in the 2025/26 Premier League season - more than any other top-flight club that campaign.
• Wrexham finished 7th in the Championship in 2025/26 with 71 points - the best league position in the club's history, achieved just three years after returning to the Football League.