Sunderland have drawn huge crowds since returning to the Premier League.
The Black Cats are now pulling an average crowd of 46,236 in the top-flight this season, which is actually a massive jump of just over 5,000 in the last couple of months alone. It’s the fourth-highest average attendance on record in club history, and the first time they’ve broken the 40,000-mark since their last Premier League campaign back in 2016/17.
And those fans have been treated well so far, with Sunderland the last club in the Premier League to maintain an unbeaten home record, winning six and drawing five of their 11 Stadium of Light matches so far.
But how do Sunderland’s attendances compare to their Premier League rivals and clubs from Europe’s top leagues so far?
Sunderland’s 2025/26 average attendance compared to Europe’s top clubs
Borussia Dortmund - 81, 365
Bayern Munich - 75,000
Manchester United - 73,965
Real Madrid - 73,456
AC Milan - 72,609
Inter Milan - 72,139
Marseille - 63,723
AS Roma - 63,041
West Ham United - 62,454
Atletico Madrid - 61,237
Tottenham Hotspur - 60,977
Liverpool - 60,372
Arsenal - 60,205
Stuttgart - 59,500
Eintracht Frankfurt - 59,033
Real Betis - 58,529
Hamburg - 56,900
Manchester City - 52,342
Everton - 52,131
Newcastle United - 52,055
Gladbach - 51,061
FC Koln - 50,000
Lyon - 48,864
Athletic Club - 48,284
Paris Saint-Germain - 47,516
Napoli - 47,001
Sunderland - 46,236
RB Leipzig - 45,087
Valencia - 44,499
Lille - 42,705
Sunderland’s average attendance is the ninth-highest in the Premier League, sandwiched between arch-rivals Newcastle United (52,055) and Aston Villa - the latter just outside Europe’s top 30 on 41,935.
The Black Cats are 30th among teams from Europe’s top five leagues according to FBref, only just below Italian champions Napoli (47,001), but ahead of a host of giants, including RB Leipzig (45,087), Valencia (44,499), Juventus (40,845), Chelsea (39,647) and Lazio (37,944).
Of course, attendance matters, with Sunderland’s ground bigger than the likes of Stamford Bridge and Juventus’ Allianz Stadium. However, their attendance still reflects just how strong a fanbase they have, and how well they’ve performed back in the Premier League.
What next for Sunderland?
Sunderland will feel confident of extending their home unbeaten record when they host Burnley on Monday night. The Clarets have struggled this season and sit down in 19th place, 10 points adrift of safety after a run of 14 without a win. However, Regis Le Bris’ men cannot afford to be complacent, with Burnley drawing against Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in their last three league matches, beating Millwall 5-1 in the FA Cup during that time.
After Burnley, Sunderland face two tough tasks away at leaders Arsenal and at home to champions Liverpool, before travelling to Oxford United in the FA Cup.
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