Ipswich Town defeated Sunderland 2–1 on their return to the Premier League in 2026–27.
The match was played at Ipswich’s home ground on Saturday 22 August 2026. It was one of three fixtures in the opening round that began at 15:00 local time, alongside Everton versus Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest versus Leeds United.
Ipswich’s victory gave them three points and a plus-one goal difference. Sunderland, another club involved in the opening-round schedule, began with a defeat. The result made Ipswich one of two promoted clubs to win on the opening weekend; Hull City was the other, while Coventry City lost to Arsenal.
Ipswich had returned to the top flight after a one-year absence. That context separates the match from Hull City’s return, which followed nine years away, and Coventry City’s return after 25 years. All three promoted teams appeared in the first Match Round, but their results were not identical.