Is Sunderland vs West Ham on TV? Live streams, preview for Premier League clash

Watch Sunderland vs West Ham as both sides kick off their Premier League seasons at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

The Black Cats are back in the big time after winning the Championship play-offs last season, beating Sheffield United to ensure a return to top-flight football.

They'll have their work cut out against Graham Potter's West Ham, who are looking to kick on after a disappointing 2024/25 campaign.

Want to know more? Scroll down as FourFourTwo brings you all the info you need on how to watch Sunderland vs West Ham online and on TV, anywhere around the world.

Can I watch Sunderland vs West Ham in the UK?

Sunderland vs West Ham 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 a VPN to access your usual coverage.

Watch Sunderland vs West Ham from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss the game. 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.

You can use a VPN to unblock your usual streaming services while abroad, allowing you to connect and watch as if you were back home. You'll also get better playback quality and it will do wonders for your internet security – result!

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.

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NordVPN is fast, affordable, and, most importantly, secure, with its various encryption systems designed to keep you safe when out in public, and allowing you to stream whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want.

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Watch Sunderland vs West Ham in the US

In the USA, NBC's streaming platform Peacock is exclusively hosting a live stream for Sunderland vs West Ham.

Watch the Premier League on Peacock

Peacock plans start from $10.99 a month, which nets you roughly half of all Premier League games each week. There are savings for annual plans, which start from $109.99 a year.

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How to watch Sunderland vs West Ham in Australia

Fans down under can watch Sunderland vs West Ham in the Premier League through Stan Sport.

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Stan Sport is your one-stop shop for football, with every single Premier League game and Champions League game live on the streaming platform, for AU$32 per month.

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See also ► Premier League TV guide

Sunderland vs West Ham: Premier League preview

Sunderland have splashed the cash in an attempt to retain their Premier League status come May.

Staying up will be a huge task for manager Regis Le Bris, who guided the Black Cats back to the Premier League via the play-offs last season.

Granit Xhaka is arguably the smartest piece of business they will do all summer, given his extensive know-how, but at 32, he is a few years on from his best and is also widely known as a bit of a hot head.

Sunderland have additionally gone big on Habib Diarra, Simon Adingra, Enzo Le Fee and Chemsdine Talbi, who have all cost the club in excess of £25m this summer.

It's a huge risk, but it's clearly one that the owners in the north-east believe gives them the best chance of survival.

Marc Guiu hasn't had it all his way but has shown flashes at Chelsea, especially with his goals in Europe last term.

As for West Ham, losing Mohammed Kudus may prove to be a huge hole, especially given his creative output.

Jarrod Bowen will have to bear the weight in attack, and with Callum Wilson to share the burden, it could be a long campaign for Potter's men.

El Hadji Malick Diouf looks to be a shrewd pick-up from Slavia Prague, and Jean-Clair Tobido, too, has a good pedigree in France.

Fans are still upset about ownership with the Hammers, and that could turn sour if they don't get off to a great start.

Sunderland vs West Ham: Expected line-ups

FourFourTwo's prediction

Sunderland 1-0 West Ham

With a bumper crowd expected, I can see Sunderland stealing a march on West Ham and picking up an opening-day win. Potter's business doesn't give you much to shout about, and the Hammers tend to falter away from home too. A welcome return to the top flight for the Black Cats, we think.