Sunderland v Newcastle United: When will the FA Cup third round tie be played? Will it be on TV? What's been the reaction to the draw? | OneFootball

Newcastle United and Sunderland supporters are known for being some of the most passionate football fans in the world, and the Wear-Tyne derby is one of the fiercest rivalries in English football.

There is scarcely a more intense rivalry in European football than Newcastle against Sunderland, which is why it has caused such a ripple of excitement to see them drawn in the FA Cup against each other.

Sunderland v Newcastle

The derby is an inter-city rivalry in North East England with the two cities of Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne just 12 miles apart. The Geordies and Mackems have played 156 times in their history (excluding friendlies) and both have won on 53 occasions while sharing 50 draws.

The FA Cup draw on Sunday on ITV saw Sunderland draw their neighbours at the Stadium of Light in what will be the first meeting between the two since March 2016 in a 1-1 draw at St. James' Park.

Newcastle were relegated that season, before winning the Championship in 2017 to return to the top-flight at the first time of asking, trading places with the Black Cats in the process.

Since the sides last met in a league match, Newcastle now also compete in the Champions League. Meanwhile, Sunderland have suffered a double relegation to League One, where they spent four seasons.

Prior to that, the derby had been a regular Premier League fixture, with Sunderland coming out on top often in the better part of a decade. They had won six and drawn three of the last nine games since August 2011.

However, the pair have had contrasting fortunes since. Sunderland are on the rise again after a play-off defeat last season under Tony Mowbray in their first season back in the Championship whilst the Magpies have been taken over by The Public Investment Fund and relegation fears appear to be a thing of the past.

The clash at the Stadium of Light in January 2024 will be the first time Sunderland and Newcastle have played each other in the FA Cup since March 1956. That particular tie was played at St. James' Park in the sixth round, with Sunderland coming out on top with a 2-0 win thanks to a brace from Bill Holden.

When will the FA Cup tie be played?

All FA Cup ties are to be played over the weekend of January 5-8 2024. The game at the Stadium of Light comes after Sunderland’s home game against Preston on New Year’s Day and before the Black Cats’ Championship trip to Ipswich.

Newcastle have the game sandwiched between an away trip to face Liverpool at Anfield on New Year’s Day and a home game against Manchester City on January 13th.

The Magpies could potentially have a League Cup semi-final in this period, too, should they beat Chelsea in the quarter-final at Stamford Bridge on December 19th.

Will Sunderland against Newcastle be selected for TV broadcast?

BBC and ITV share coverage of the FA Cup fixtures. ITV has first pick and fourth pick of games in the second round, fourth round, and the quarter-finals; as well as second and third picks for the first, third, and fifth rounds and second pick of the semi-finals.

This means that the BBC has a choice between a Tyne-Wear derby or Arsenal vs Liverpool as the standout games of the recent draw.

FA Cup draw in full:

Ticket details yet to be announced for the third-round fixture but is set to be released in due course. Rules state away teams are allowed up to 15 percent of all tickets for the stadium they are playing at.

The Stadium of Light’s official capacity is 48,707, meaning 15 percent would equate to 7,306 tickets as a maximum allocation for Newcastle. However, that is unlikely to be given to their bitter rivals.

What's been the reaction to the Sunderland and Newcastle announcement?

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer spoke to The Rest Is Football podcast with Gary Lineker. Shearer said: "I’ve already sent a text off asking for tickets! What a draw, it was brilliant, wasn’t it? Arsenal vs Liverpool and Sunderland vs Newcastle. Woah, amazing! Something to look forward to.

"I’ve already been onto the guys (BBC bosses). We both know Arsenal and Liverpool are going to play reserve sides, so we might as well do Sunderland vs Newcastle! We know nobody can afford to be beaten and won’t put reserve sides out."

Co-host Gary Lineker joked about wanting Arsenal vs Liverpool while poking fun at the North East weather. He said: "I told them we should do Arsenal vs Liverpool because it’s very cold up north."

Whilst local lad Paul Dummett reacted to the news the day after Newcastle beat Manchester United 1-0 at St. James' Park.

Sunderland fan and Sky Sports presenter Tom White enjoyed reacting to the draw live on air and his colleague Pete Graves, a Newcastle fan, replied in superb fashion.