😱AZ Alkmaar fans planned opening match chant against the Black Cats is going Viral
🗣️ “Welcome to our stadium…
We will win you today, Sunderland!”
That is the message doing the rounds among AZ Alkmaar supporters ahead of one of the most anticipated European nights of the week.
Sunderland are preparing for their long-awaited return to European football, but before a ball has even been kicked, supporters of AZ Alkmaar have already started adding fuel to the atmosphere.
And their message to the travelling Sunderland supporters is simple:
“Welcome to our stadium… we will win you today!”
The line has quickly caught the attention of football supporters online, with Sunderland fans reacting to the confidence coming from the Dutch side’s supporters.
Of course, there is one small problem with the wording.
The match isn’t even being played in Alkmaar.
AZ are travelling to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light for Wednesday night’s Europa League opener.
So if AZ supporters are indeed using that line, it is less a literal “welcome to our stadium” and more a playful attempt to unsettle the home supporters before one of the biggest European occasions Sunderland have experienced in decades.
And that is exactly why the chant has attracted so much attention.
🚨 THE MESSAGE TO THE BLACK CATS
Sunderland are known as the Black Cats, while supporters and people from Sunderland are commonly referred to as Mackems.
For Sunderland supporters, this isn’t just another European fixture.
The club are returning to European football after a 53-year absence, with their last European campaign coming in the 1970s. The return is therefore being treated as a major moment in the club’s history.
The Stadium of Light is expected to be packed, with reports putting the attendance at almost 49,000 for the occasion.
And that makes the confidence from the visiting supporters even more interesting.
AZ know they are walking into a stadium where the atmosphere is expected to be intense.
They know Sunderland supporters have waited more than half a century for a European night like this.
Yet the message from the Dutch side’s supporters is effectively:
“We aren’t coming here to admire the occasion. We’re coming here to win.”
That is the sort of statement that can turn a football match into something even more special.
🗣️ “WE WILL WIN YOU TODAY”
Imagine the scene.
The players emerge from the tunnel.
The Europa League atmosphere builds.
Thousands of Sunderland supporters are making themselves heard.
The famous pre-match traditions begin.
And somewhere among the travelling AZ supporters comes the response:
🗣️ “Welcome to our stadium!”
🗣️ “We will win you today!”
It is the kind of exchange that can instantly become part of the story surrounding a European night.
Sunderland supporters have their own identity, their own songs and their own traditions.
In fact, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” has become closely associated with Sunderland’s home-match atmosphere since 1977.
AZ supporters also have a strong European-supporting culture.
And now the two sets of fans are preparing to bring those traditions together.
🇳🇱 AZ ARE NOT COMING TO MAKE UP THE NUMBERS
There is another reason the chant is getting attention.
AZ Alkmaar aren’t entering this competition without European experience.
The Dutch club have regularly competed in continental football and have a significant European history. They reached the UEFA Cup final in 1981 and have remained regular participants in European competition.
They also arrive with plenty of confidence.
AZ won the 2026 Johan Cruyff Shield against PSV Eindhoven and lifted the KNVB Cup last season after defeating NEC Nijmegen in the final. Their start to the current Eredivisie campaign has also been strong.
So when their supporters sing about winning, it isn’t difficult to understand where the confidence comes from.
But Sunderland have their own reasons for believing.
🔴⚪ SUNDERLAND’S BIG EUROPEAN RETURN
For Sunderland, this match represents far more than three points.
It represents the return of a club to a stage it hasn’t visited for generations.
The last time Sunderland played European football was during the 1973-74 Cup Winners’ Cup campaign.
More than five decades later, the Europa League anthem is finally coming back to the Stadium of Light.
That alone guarantees an emotional atmosphere.
Sunderland’s recent journey makes the occasion even more remarkable.
The club have gone through the pain of dropping into the third tier before climbing their way back to the Premier League and eventually securing European football.
Now they are facing AZ Alkmaar under the lights.
It is almost impossible to write a more dramatic backdrop for a European opener.
👀 AND THEN AZ ARRIVE…
AZ, meanwhile, have looked at the occasion from the other side.
Their official preview described Sunderland as a club with deep footballing roots and highlighted the significance of playing in the northeast of England. AZ also confirmed that the Sunderland match is their first game of the new Europa League campaign.
The Dutch side travelled to England on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday night’s match.
And while the players will be focused on the tactical battle, the supporters will have their own battle to fight.
The battle of the noise.
The battle of the songs.
The battle of who can make themselves heard first.
🔥 SUNDERLAND FANS HAVE ALREADY RESPONDED
The reaction from Sunderland supporters has been exactly what you would expect.
Some have laughed at the confidence.
Others have pointed out the obvious:
“Your stadium?”
After all, this is taking place at the Stadium of Light.
The irony has only made the chant more entertaining for football fans watching from outside the two clubs.
And that is perhaps what makes football supporter culture so fascinating.
A simple line can become a huge talking point before the match.
One group says:
🗣️ “We will win you today!”
The other responds:
🗣️ “This is the Stadium of Light!”
And suddenly the match has already started in the stands.
🌍 A EUROPEAN NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Regardless of what happens on the pitch, Wednesday’s fixture is guaranteed to be remembered by Sunderland supporters.
European football has finally returned to Wearside.
AZ Alkmaar are the visitors.
The Stadium of Light will be packed.
The travelling Dutch supporters will be there.
The Sunderland supporters will be there.
And both sides will believe they have a reason to make themselves heard.
The football will ultimately decide everything.
But before the first whistle, there is another contest taking place.
The contest between the supporters.
Who will be louder?
Who will produce the better songs?
Who will have the final word?
And most importantly…
Will AZ Alkmaar’s confident chant still be ringing around the stadium after 90 minutes?
Because right now, the message is crystal clear:
🗣️ “WELCOME TO OUR STADIUM!”
🗣️ “WE WILL WIN YOU TODAY, SUNDERLAND!”
But Sunderland fans will have their own response.
And with almost 49,000 people expected inside the Stadium of Light, AZ supporters may discover very quickly that making yourself heard in Wearside is not going to be easy.
European football is back.
The Black Cats are ready.
AZ Alkmaar are ready.
And now…
LET THE NOISE BEGIN. 🔥🏟️