Newcastle vs. Sunderland rivalry, explained: Full results, history and how the Tyne-Wear Derby became a fierce feud

JUMP TO: 

• Newcastle vs. Sunderland rivalry name
• Why are Newcastle and Sunderland rivals
• How far apart are Newcastle and Sunderland?
• Newcastle vs. Sunderland rivalry results
• Newcastle vs. Sunderland rivalry history timeline
• Newcastle vs. Sunderland fan traditions
• What are the oldest rivalries in England soccer?

English football's rich traditions provide us with several of the game's most compelling rivalries.

Local arguments between the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton, and Arsenal and Tottenham are always the first games on the fixture list that fans look for every summer.

Newcastle United vs. Sunderland has been absent from the Premier League schedule since 2015-16. Newcastle were relegated that season and, although they sealed an instant return from the Championship under Rafael Benitez the following season, Sunderland went down in 2016-17 following years of battling against the drop.

A second consecutive relegation to League One followed in 2017-18 and the Black Cats embarked upon a long and grueling journey back to the top flight, which culminated in last season's dramatic playoff final victory over Sheffield United.

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Since they last met their local rivals in the Premier League, Newcastle has been taken over by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, qualified for the Champions League twice and ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought by winning the 2024-25 Carabao Cup.

Nevertheless, Newcastle heads into Sunday's match at the Stadium of Light a point behind Sunderland, with Regis Le Bris' side having made an impressively assured return to the top division.

Here's everything you need to know about a storied rivalry long overdue for renewal.

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Newcastle vs. Sunderland rivalry name

The Newcastle vs. Sunderland match is known as the Tyne-Wear derby. 

This name might sometimes be switched to the Wear-Tyne derby for Sunderland home matches

Why is it called the Tyne-Wear derby?

The name of the fixture is derived from the two rivers that give their name to the Tyne and Wear region: the River Tyne, which flows through Newcastle and the River Wear, where Sunderland sits of the south-east mouth.

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Why are Newcastle and Sunderland rivals

Newcastle and Sunderland's historic rivalry predates football, going back to the 17th century and the English Civil War, when Newcastle came out for the King. 

Sunderland, by contrast, was a parliamentarian stronghold and felt that merchants in Newcastle were given preferential treatment on account of being royalists.

Later in the century, during the Jacobite risings, Sunderland supported the claims of the Stuart family to the British throne, with Newcastle behind the German King George.

How far apart are Newcastle and Sunderland?

Sunderland is 12 miles south-east of Newcastle.

The Stadium of Light and St James' Park are a 15.4-mile drive apart, taking around half an hour.

Has Newcastle or Sunderland won more trophies?

Newcastle has won 12 major trophies to Sunderland's eight.

Sunderland has won six league titles to Newcastle's four. But the Magpies have won the FA Cup six times, set alongside two successes for their neighbors.

Newcastle ended the long wait for a follow-up success to the 1968-69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup by beating Liverpool 2-1 in the 2025 Carabao Cup final.

Sunderland's most recent trophy success came in 1973, when they stunned Leeds United at Wembley to win the FA Cup as a Second Division side. The Black Cats led the 2014 League Cup final 1-0 at halftime before losing 3-1 to Manchester City.

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Newcastle vs. Sunderland rivalry results 

Overall, Sunderland and Newcastle have played one another 157 times, and the head-to-head could scarcely be tighter. Newcastle has won 54 derbies to their rivals' 53, with 50 matches ending as draws.

Here are the results from the 10 most recent editions of the Tyne-Wear derby.

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Newcastle vs. Sunderland rivalry history timeline

Early 20th-century successes

Sunderland claimed the record win in the fixture in December 1908, when they won 9-1 at St. James' Park. Remarkably, Newcastle finished the 1908-09 season as Division One champions.

That was a third title in five seasons for the Magpies, while Sunderland's 1901-02 title followed up three in the 1890s, with their famous "Team of All Talents".

Another nickname bestowed upon Sunderland in the 1950s was "The Bank of England Club" after they broke the British transfer record twice with the purchases of Len Shackleton and Trevor Ford.

However, Newcastle equaled its biggest derby victory margin of 6-1 in 1955 and won the FA Cup the same year.

Playoff showdown boils over

Arguably the most consequential Tyne-Wear derbies in history happened in the 1989-90 Division Two playoff semifinals. After a 0-0 draw at Sunderland's former home of Roker Park, the visitors won 2-0 at St James' Park.

Some Newcastle fans invaded the pitch in an apparent attempt to get the game abandoned but were unsuccessful. Sunderland lost to Swindon Town in the final but were promoted after Swindon were found to have committed financial irregularities.

When Newcastle returned to the top division under Kevin Keegan in 1993, they surged to a third-place finish and went close to winning the title in 1995/96.

Sunderland's six in a row

During the Premier League era, Newcastle have been the most successful club overall, but many of the most notable derby moments have gone Sunderland's way. Their August 1999 win at St James' Park led to the departure of Newcastle manager Ruud Gullit.

Getty Images

Newcastle and the Premier League's record goal-scorer Alan Shearer scored the final goal of his career from the penalty spot in a 4-1 win at Sunderland in April 2006.

The January 2024 FA Cup win was Newcastle's first Tyne-Wear derby win over Sunderland since August 2011, a slump that featured six straight Sunderland wins.

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Newcastle vs. Sunderland fan traditions

Newcastle and Sunderland have two of the most traditionally passionate fanbases in English football.

Supporters at St. James' Park are known collectively as the 'Toon Army', while the 'Wor Flags' group produces eye-catching displays on the Gallogate End.

Sunderland fans' loyalty and perseverance during the team's recent struggles in League One were documented on the Netflix series 'Sunderland 'Til I Die'.

Newcastle fans sing the traditional Tyneside song 'Blaydon Races' while they walk out at home matches to 'Going Home' from the 1983 film 'Local Hero', which was written by Newcastle fan Mark Knopfler. 

Sunderland's club anthem is the Elvis Presley standard 'Can't Help Falling in Love'. Prior to the teams taking to the field at the Stadium of Light, Sergei Prokofiev's 'Dance of the Knights' is played and 'Ready to Go' by Republica is the walk-out music.

Dance of the Knights" from Sergei Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet is traditionally played before the teams take the field; the club's walk-on song is "Ready to Go" by Republica.

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Stu Forster

What are the biggest rivalries in England soccer? 

Alongside the single-city rivalries in Manchester (City vs. United), Liverpool (Liverpool vs. Everton). Sheffield (Wednesday vs. United) and Birmingham (Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City), Newcastle vs. Sunderland is one of the biggest derby matches in English football.

London boasts multiple derbies, with the north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham the historically most significant.

Rivalries with clubs from separate cities, such as Newcastle vs. Sunderland carry a particular "us and them" edge, with the vitriol witnessed in the East Anglia derby between Norwich City and Ipswich Town and the east Lancashire derby between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley at a comparable level. Newcastle and Sunderland's historic success and the size of their fanbases probably put it top of this respective category.

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What are the oldest rivalries in England soccer?

Sunderland first played Newcastle — then known as Newcastle East End — in 1883, placing it among the oldest rivalries in English football.

It puts it ahead of the first Merseyside, Sheffield and north London derbies. The first Manchester derby happened in 1881, although City and United were still called St Mark's Gorton and Newton Heath respectively at that stage. The first second city derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham was in 1879.

Two of the oldest football clubs in the world, Notts County and Nottingham Forest, first met in a friendly in 1866.

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