Watch Ipswich Town vs Sunderland as the newly-promoted Tractor Boys welcome the Black Cats in their first game back in the Premier League, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.
- Date: Saturday 22 August
- Kick-off time: 3:00pm BST / 10:00am ET / 12:00am AEST (Sun)
- Venue: Portman Road, Ipswich
- TV & Streaming: Peacock (US) / Stan Sport (AUS)
- Watch from anywhere: Get 75% off with NordVPN
The hosts secured an instant return to the top flight last season, following relegation in 2024/25, but the man who got them there is no longer at the helm after Kieran McKenna stepped down in June.
Gary O'Neil has replaced the Northern Irishman and his first competitive game is against Sunderland, whose seventh-place finish last term made them the surprise package of 2025/26.
Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Ipswich Town vs Sunderland on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Is Ipswich Town vs Sunderland on TV in the UK?
Ipswich Town vs Sunderland is not being televised in the UK. The game is being played on Saturday at 3pm, a time when football matches cannot legally be broadcast in the UK. This is known as the '3pm blackout'.
The irony is you can watch the game in pretty much every country other than the one in which it's being played. If you're visiting the UK, you can use NordVPN to access your usual coverage.
Watch Ipswich Town vs Sunderland from anywhere
Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Ipswich Town vs Sunderland.
The solution to your geo-restriction nightmares is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a piece of software that can set your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.
FourFourTwo’s tech-obsessed office-mates over at Tom's Guide know everything there is to know about VPNs, and they rate NordVPN as the best VPN you can buy.
How to watch Ipswich Town vs Sunderland in the US
Fans in the US can watch Ipswich Town vs Sunderland on Peacock. Kick-off is at 10:00am ET.
Not in the US right now? Use NordVPN to watch Ipswich Town vs Sunderland on Peacock.
How to watch Ipswich Town vs Sunderland in Australia
Fans in Australia can stream Ipswich Town vs Sunderland on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 12:00am AEST (midnight) on Sunday morning.
Travelling outside Australia? NordVPN is your ticket to watch Ipswich Town vs Sunderland on Stan Sport.
Tickets
Ipswich Town vs Sunderland: Preview
Ipswich Town return to the Premier League determined to stay longer than their previous visit, when they were relegated after one season without putting up much of a fight.
That underwhelming 2024/25 campaign was followed by promotion from the Championship as runners-up last term, before the bombshell news this summer that Kieran McKenna - who led the Tractor Boys from mid-table in League One to the top division - was stepping down as manager.
Gary O'Neil is the man tasked with filling the Northern Irishman's sizeable shoes, but if the former Bournemouth and Wolves boss can successfully navigate a third survival mission, he will have achieved something his predecessor couldn't.
Ipswich appear to be taking inspiration from their first opponents of the season, with their £150m splurge in the transfer window putting them on track to beat Sunderland's record £161m summer spend for a promoted club 12 months ago. If new recruits like Julio Enciso, Emersonn and Abdul Fatawu can fire them to victory over the Black Cats, it will already look like money well spent.
SEE ALSO How to watch Premier League 2026/27: TV Guide, Streams & Fixtures
Sunderland arrive at Portman Road knowing that last season's seventh-place finish will be tough to replicate, especially as they juggle domestic and European football for the first time in 53 years.
Regis Le Bris has done an unbelievable job since arriving in summer 2024, but the Frenchman could be a victim of his own success if the Black Cats start the campaign poorly.
The Sunderland manager says the club's transfer policy this summer has been quality over quantity, with experienced Belgium full-back Thomas Meunier the only notable arrival on a free transfer from Lille, so the team that lines up against Ipswich is likely to be very similar to the one that ended 2025/26.
There is always a fear of second-season syndrome when a promoted team does so well immediately after coming up from the Championship, so a win on the opening day would go a long way to allaying those concerns.
FourFourTwo's prediction
Ipswich Town 1-1 Sunderland
The Tractor Boys will target this fixture as one in which they can pick up points - and they may well be right.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
