2025–26 NIFL Championship

NIFL Championship
Season2025–26
2026–27 →

The 2025–26 NIFL Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the ninth season of the NIFL Championship (the second-tier of the Irish League - the national football league in Northern Ireland) since gaining senior status.[1]

Teams

The league consisted of twelve teams; nine teams remaining from the previous season, two teams promoted from the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, and one team relegated from the NIFL Premiership. With the league expanding to sixteen teams for the following season, no team will be relegated this season.[2]

The promoted teams were the 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League champions Warrenpoint Town and 2024–25 NIFL Championship play-off winners Queen's University. They replaced the NIFL Championship play-off losers Ballyclare Comrades and bottom-placed team Newry City.[3]

The relegated team was the 2024–25 NIFL Premiership bottom-placed team Loughgall. They replaced the 2024–25 NIFL Championship champions Bangor.[4]

Locations of the 2025–26 NIFL Championship teams
Locations of the Belfast-based 2025–26 NIFL Championship teams

Stadia and locations

Club Stadium Location Capacity[5]
Annagh United BMG Arena Portadown 1,250 (100 seated)
Ards Clandeboye Park Bangor 1,895 (500 seated)
Armagh City Holm Park Armagh 2,000 (500 seated)
Ballinamallard United Ferney Park Ballinamallard 2,000 (250 seated)
Dundela Wilgar Park Belfast 2,500
Harland & Wolff Welders Blanchflower Stadium Belfast 3,000 (2,000 seated)
Institute Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium Derry 3,700
Limavady United The Showgrounds Limavady 524 (274 seated)
Loughgall Lakeview Park Loughgall 3,000
Newington Inver Park Larne 3,000
Queen's University Upper Malone Belfast 1,000 (330 seated)
Warrenpoint Town Milltown Warrenpoint 1,450

Regular season

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Limavady United 33 21 8 4 61 32 +29 71 Qualification for Section A
2 Annagh United 33 22 5 6 54 27 +27 71
3 Harland & Wolff Welders 33 17 8 8 77 41 +36 59
4 Newington 33 15 6 12 69 52 +17 51
5 Loughgall 33 13 12 8 46 34 +12 51
6 Queen's University 33 12 11 10 43 42 +1 47
7 Institute 33 13 7 13 47 43 +4 46 Qualification for Section B
8 Ards 33 12 7 14 50 46 +4 43
9 Warrenpoint Town 33 10 6 17 44 50 −6 36
10 Ballinamallard United 33 8 10 15 36 52 −16 34
11 Dundela 33 3 11 19 37 73 −36 20
12 Armagh City 33 4 5 24 28 100 −72 17
Source: NIFL Championship
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[6]


Results

For matches 1–22, each team plays every other team twice (home and away). For matches 23–33, each team plays every other team for the third time (either at home or away).

Home \ Away ANN ARD ARM BMD DUN HAR INS LIM LOU NEW QUE WAR ANN ARD ARM BMD DUN HAR INS LIM LOU NEW QUE WAR
Annagh United — 3–1 2–0 0–1 2–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 0–2 1–0 — 3–2 3–0 — 1–1 2–1 3–1 — — 3–2 — —
Ards 1–2 — 2–1 3–1 1–0 1–4 0–3 1–4 1–1 2–1 2–3 0–0 — — — 2–1 — 2–3 0–0 2–0 — — — 3–0
Armagh City 1–2 1–0 — 0–3 3–0 0–3 1–3 1–1 0–0 2–4 0–2 0–2 — 0–8 — 0–0 0–3 — — — — 1–2 — 1–5
Ballinamallard United 1–1 1–0 3–1 — 2–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 0–1 3–3 0–3 0–4 0–0 — — — — 1–1 0–1 0–1 — — 1–1 —
Dundela 0–3 1–4 1–3 2–2 — 3–3 2–2 1–2 2–2 1–0 1–3 3–2 — 1–1 — 1–4 — — — 1–1 0–3 — 1–1 —
Harland & Wolff Welders 0–0 1–2 3–0 3–0 4–0 — 2–1 2–3 1–1 3–2 1–1 1–1 — — 12–0 — 3–1 — 1–4 1–4 2–1 2–1 — —
Institute 1–0 2–2 2–1 0–0 1–1 0–4 — 1–2 2–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 — — 6–0 — 2–1 — — 1–2 — 3–3 0–1 —
Limavady United 1–0 1–0 3–1 4–2 3–0 0–3 1–0 — 1–0 0–0 3–0 1–0 1–3 — 5–0 — — — — — 0–0 3–2 — 3–3
Loughgall 2–3 1–1 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 — 2–2 2–0 1–1 3–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 — — 1–3 — — 2–1 4–0 1–0
Newington 1–5 0–3 5–1 4–1 2–2 2–1 4–1 1–4 2–3 — 2–0 3–0 — 2–0 — 4–0 2–0 — — — — — 2–0 4–0
Queen's University 0–1 1–0 1–1 0–3 1–1 0–3 2–1 2–2 2–2 0–0 — 2–0 1–0 2–2 8–1 — — 2–2 — 0–2 — — — 1–0
Warrenpoint Town 0–1 2–0 3–5 4–1 3–1 2–2 1–0 0–1 1–0 2–4 1–1 — 0–1 — — 1–0 5–2 0–3 1–2 — — — — —
Source: NIFL Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Matches 34–38

For the final five matches, the table splits into two halves, with the top six teams forming Section A and the bottom six teams forming Section B. Each team plays every other team in their respective section once. The fixtures are reversed from those played during rounds 23–33, ensuring that teams have played every other team in their respective section twice at home and twice away overall throughout the season.

Section A

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification
1 Limavady United 33 21 8 4 61 32 +29 71 Promotion to the NIFL Premiership
2 Annagh United 33 22 5 6 54 27 +27 71 Qualification for the NIFL Premiership play-off
3 Harland & Wolff Welders 33 17 8 8 77 41 +36 59
4 Newington 33 15 6 12 69 52 +17 51
5 Loughgall 33 13 12 8 46 34 +12 51
6 Queen's University 33 12 11 10 43 42 +1 47
First match(es) will be played: 27 March 2026. Source: NIFL Championship
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[6]


Results

Home \ Away ANN HAR LIM LOU NEW QUE
Annagh United — — 18 Apr 4 Apr — 11 Apr
Harland & Wolff Welders 24 Apr — — — — 28 Mar
Limavady United — 4 Apr — — — 24 Apr
Loughgall — 11 Apr 28 Mar — — —
Newington 27 Mar 18 Apr 11 Apr 24 Apr — —
Queen's University — — — 18 Apr 4 Apr —
First match(es) will be played: 27 March 2026. Source: NIFL Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Section B

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
7 Institute 33 13 7 13 47 43 +4 46
8 Ards 33 12 7 14 50 46 +4 43
9 Warrenpoint Town 33 10 6 17 44 50 −6 36
10 Ballinamallard United 33 8 10 15 36 52 −16 34
11 Dundela 33 3 11 19 37 73 −36 20
12 Armagh City 33 4 5 24 28 100 −72 17
First match(es) will be played: 28 March 2026. Source: NIFL Championship
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[6]


Results

Home \ Away ARD ARM BMD DUN INS WAR
Ards — 11 Apr — 4 Apr — —
Armagh City — — — — 25 Apr —
Ballinamallard United 28 Mar 4 Apr — 25 Apr — 18 Apr
Dundela — 18 Apr — — 28 Mar 11 Apr
Institute 18 Apr — 11 Apr — — 4 Apr
Warrenpoint Town 25 Apr 28 Mar — — — —
First match(es) will be played: 28 March 2026. Source: NIFL Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

References

  1. ^ "Summary - Championship - Northern Ireland". Soccerway.
  2. ^ "NEW NIFL LEAGUE STRUCTURES CONFIRMED". NIFL Football League.
  3. ^ "QUEEN'S ARE GOING UP!". NIFL Football League. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Bangor win Championship to earn promotion to top flight". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  5. ^ "NIFL Championship Venues 2021-2022". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Rules and Regulations". NIFL. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
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