Ipswich Town played Sunderland in its first Premier League match of the 2026–27 season.
The fixture was held on Saturday 22 August 2026 at Portman Road, Ipswich Town’s home stadium. It was one of three opening-Saturday matches scheduled for 15:00 BST.
Ipswich won 2–1, beginning its return to the Premier League with three points. Sunderland were also among the clubs involved in the season’s newly reshaped top-flight lineup, making the fixture a meeting between teams with strong promotion-related storylines.
Ipswich had returned to the Premier League after a one-year absence. The other promoted clubs were Coventry City, who faced Arsenal, and Hull City, who hosted Manchester United. Those three promoted teams all played during the opening round.