2026 League of Ireland Premier Division
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 February 2026 – 30 October 2026 |
← 2025 | |
The 2026 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the upcoming 42nd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985.
The competition will begin on 6 February 2026 and is set to conclude on 30 October 2026.[2]
Shamrock Rovers are defending champions, having won their 22nd Premier Division title the previous season.
Teams
The league will consist of ten teams – the top nine teams from the previous season and one team promoted as champions from the First Division, Dundalk.[3] They replaced Cork City who were relegated after a single season in the top flight.
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park | 4,500 |
| Derry City | Derry | Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium | 6,242 |
| Drogheda United | Drogheda | Sullivan and Lambe Park | 3,500 |
| Dundalk | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 4,500 |
| Galway United | Galway | Eamonn Deacy Park | 5,000 |
| Shamrock Rovers | Dublin (Tallaght) | Tallaght Stadium | 10,500 |
| Shelbourne | Dublin (Drumcondra) | Tolka Park | 5,700 |
| Sligo Rovers | Sligo | The Showgrounds | 3,873 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Dublin (Inchicore) | Richmond Park | 5,340 |
| Waterford | Waterford | RSC | 5,160 |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Alan Reynolds | Dawson Devoy | O'Neills | Des Kelly Interiors |
| Derry City | Tiernan Lynch | TBC | O'Neills | Diamond Corrugated |
| Drogheda United | Kevin Doherty | Ryan Brennan | Macron | NoFo Brew Co[4] |
| Dundalk | Ciarán Kilduff | Daryl Horgan[5] | Macron | ZOMA[6] |
| Galway United | John Caulfield | Greg Cunningham | O'Neills | Comer Property Management |
| Shamrock Rovers | Stephen Bradley | Roberto Lopes | Macron | MASCOT Workwear |
| Shelbourne | Joey O'Brien | Mark Coyle[7] | O'Neills | Chadwicks[8] |
| Sligo Rovers | John Russell | William Fitzgerald | Umbro | Avant Money[9] |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Stephen Kenny | Joe Redmond | Umbro | TBC |
| Waterford | Jon Daly | Pádraig Amond[10] | Puma | WhiteBox[11] |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford | Matt Lawlor (interim) | End of interim spell | 16 November 2025[12] | Pre-season | Jon Daly | 16 November 2025[12] |
League table
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bohemians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Derry City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Conference League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Drogheda United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Conference League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Dundalk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Galway United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Shamrock Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Shelbourne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Sligo Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | St Patrick's Athletic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for promotion/relegation play-off |
| 10 | Waterford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
Results
Teams play each other four times (twice at home and twice away).
Positions by round
To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 7, but then played between rounds 8 and 9, it will be added to the standings for round 8.
| Leader and qualification for Champions League first qualifying round | |
| Qualification for Conference League second qualifying round | |
| Qualification for Conference League first qualifying round | |
| Qualification for promotion/relegation play-off | |
| Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
References
- ^ "Key dates - schedule confirmed for 2026 LOI season". League of Ireland. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ Duffy, Muireann (1 December 2025). "Premier Division gets early February kick-off as League of Ireland season dates confirmed". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ Rogers, James (11 October 2025). "Dundalk FC complete hard fought resurrection with promotion to Premier Division". Irish Independent. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "Drogheda United 2025 Kit Release: A New Era with NoFo Brew Co". Drogheda United. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Horgan announced as new club captain". Dundalk. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Dundalk FC welcome Zoma as principal partner". Dundalk. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Mark Coyle named club captain". Shelbourne. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ Woods, Caoimhe (4 November 2025). "Chadwicks extend Shelbourne FC partnership for a further two years". Shelbourne. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Avant Money renew Sligo Rovers sponsorship for three years". Sligo Rovers. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Pádraig Amond Named as Captain for 2025". Waterford. 13 February 2025.
- ^ "WhiteBox Partnership to Continue on Multi-Year Deal". Waterford. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Welcome to Waterford FC, Jon Daly!". Waterford. 16 November 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.