2026 Dundalk F.C. season
| 2026 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Chris Clinton | ||
| Manager | Ciarán Kilduff | ||
| Stadium | Oriel Park | ||
|
| |||
Dundalk enter the 2026 League of Ireland Premier Division season after being promoted as champions from the First Division the previous year. Ciarán Kilduff is the club's first-team manager going into the new term, his second season in charge.[1]
2026 is Dundalk's 100th season in the League of Ireland.
Season summary
At the end of the previous season, US-based businessman Chris Clinton acquired John Temple's shareholding to become the club's majority shareholder.[2]
Vinnie Leonard was bought by Norwich City in February for a reported €400,000 up front and "significant add-ons", which would be the club's record transfer fee received. He remained with the club until the UK transfer window opened in the summer.[3]
Pre-season coincided with the Leinster Senior Cup Round 4 Group Stage. Dundalk were the holders and topped the group with two wins from three.
The League season began on 6 February 2026. However, Dundalk's opening match (a visit to defending League Champions Shamrock Rovers) was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch, meaning they started the season with an away match to Derry City the following week instead.[4]
First-Team Squad (2026)
Sources:[5] Note: Substitute appearances in brackets
| No. | Nat. | Name | DOB | Pos. | Debut | League | FAI Cup | Leinster Cup | Totals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| 1 | Enda Minogue | 12 January 2002 | GK | 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2 | Conor O'Keeffe | 19 September 1993 | DF | 2025 | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 3 | Bobby Burns | 10 July 1999 | DF | 2026 | 7 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| 4 | Mayowa Animasahun | 8 August 2003 | DF | 2021 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 5 | Harvey Warren | 11 April 2004 | DF | 2026 | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 6 | Aodh Dervin | 21 July 1999 | MF | 2024 | 6 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 7 | Daryl Horgan | 10 August 1992 | FW | 2014 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 10 | 3 | |
| 8 | Harry Groome | 9 November 2001 | MF | 2025 | 3 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | |
| 9 | Gbemi Arubi | 26 May 2004 | FW | 2025 | 5 (3) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 | |
| 10 | Leo Gaxha | 27 July 2002 | FW | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Ronan Teahan | 31 August 2004 | MF | 2026 | 3 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| 12 | Luke Mulligan | 13 November 2007 | MF | 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | Norman Garbett | 27 February 2004 | MF | 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 15 | Vinnie Leonard | 21 March 2008 | MF | 2024 | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 16 | Eoin Kenny | 30 December 2005 | FW | 2023 | 6 (2) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | |
| 17 | Shane Tracey | 4 April 2006 | MF | 2025 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 18 | Keith Buckley | 19 June 1992 | MF | 2026 | 6 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 19 | Sean Spaight | 25 January 2009 | DF | 2024 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 20 | Peter Cherrie | 1 October 1983 | GK | 2009 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 21 | Danny Mullen | 1 March 1995 | FW | 2026 | 5 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 9 | 3 | |
| 22 | Tyreke Wilson | 2 December 1999 | DF | 2026 | 5 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 24 | Rob Cornwall | 16 October 1994 | DF | 2026 | 4 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 27 | Declan McDaid | 22 November 1995 | FW | 2025 | 4 (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 2 | 10 | 3 | |
| 29 | TJ Molloy | 4 April 2009 | MF | 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 31 | John Ross Wilson | 13 December 1998 | DF | 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 39 | Conor Kearns | 6 May 1998 | GK | 2026 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
Competitions
Win Draw Loss
Premier Division
| 6 February 2026 Round 1 | Shamrock Rovers | P–P | Dundalk | Tallaght, South Dublin |
| 19:45 | Report | Stadium: Tallaght Stadium Referee: Rob Harvey | ||
| Note: match postponed (unplayable pitch) | ||||
| 13 February 2026 Round 2 | Derry City | 2–2 | Dundalk | Derry, Northern Ireland |
| 19:45 | P.McClean 49' Duffy 90' (pen.) |
Report | Eoin Kenny 22' Gbemi Arubi 65' |
Stadium: Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium Attendance: 4,323 Referee: Declan Toland |
| Note: fixture reversed because of ongoing work at Oriel Park | ||||
| 20 February 2026 Round 3 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Drogheda United | Dundalk |
| 20:00 | Danny Mullen 57' | Report | Keeley 88' | Stadium: Oriel Park Attendance: 3,819 Referee: Rob Hennessy |
| 24 February 2026 Round 1 (refixed) | Shamrock Rovers | 1–1 | Dundalk | Tallaght, Dublin |
| 20:00 | Lopes 19' | Report | Vinnie Leonard 76' Danny Mullen 90' |
Stadium: Tallaght Stadium Attendance: 4,352 Referee: Aaron O'Dowd |
| Note: refixed from postponement 6 February 2026 | ||||
| 27 February 2024 Round 4 | St Patrick's Athletic | 4–0 | Dundalk | Inchicore, Dublin |
| 19:45 | Palmer 20' Hoare 25' Elbouzedi 48' Keena 85' |
Report | Stadium: Richmond Park Attendance: 4,427 Referee: Lucas Keating |
| 6 March 2026 Round 5 | Galway United | 2–2 | Dundalk | Galway |
| 19:45 | Walsh 51' Twardek 62' |
Report | Gbemi Arubi 12' Bobby Burns 81' |
Stadium: Eamonn Deacy Park Attendance: 1,933 Referee: Alan Patchell |
| 13 March 2026 Round 6 | Dundalk | 5–0 | Waterford | Dundalk |
| 19:45 | Ronan Teahan 30' Declan McDaid 43' Daryl Horgan 87' Eoin Kenny 90', 90' |
Report | Stadium: Oriel Park Attendance: 2,819 Referee: Marc Lynch |
| 16 March 2026 Round 7 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Sligo Rovers | Dundalk |
| 19:45 | Daryl Horgan 82' (pen.) Aodh Dervin 84' |
Report | Stadium: Oriel Park Attendance: 2,343 Referee: Oliver Moran |
| 20 March 2026 Round 8 | Bohemians | 1–1 | Dundalk | Phibsborough, Dublin |
| 20:00 | Hickey 20' | Report | Gbemi Arubi 59' | Stadium: Dalymount Park Attendance: 4,383 Referee: Rob Hennessy |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Shamrock Rovers | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 15 | Qualification for Conference League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Shelbourne | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 13 | |
| 5 | Dundalk | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 11 | |
| 6 | Derry City | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 9 | |
| 7 | Drogheda United | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 9 |
Updated to match(es) played on 21 March 2026. Source: League of Ireland
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
FAI Cup
| Second round | – |
Leinster Senior Cup
Round 4 Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Shelbourne | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| St Peter's Athlone | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| Athlone Town | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | –5 | 3 |
| 11 January 2026 Match 1 | St Peter's Athlone | 5–2 | Dundalk | Athlone, County Westmeath |
| 13:00 | Jonathan Kiernan 20' Dylan Gavin 43' (pen.) 67' (pen.) Niall Scullion 57' Dylan Sumner 81' |
Darci Lawless 54' (o.g.) Luke Mulligan 60' Enda Minogue 66' |
Stadium: McCarthy Park Attendance: unreported Referee: Declan Toland | |
| Note: U20 squad used for match | ||||
| 13 January 2026 Match 2 | Dundalk | 3–1 | Shelbourne | Dundalk, County Louth |
| 19:45 | Danny Mullen 42' Eoin Kenny 51', 83' |
Ring 75' | Stadium: Dundalk Sports Centre Attendance: unreported Referee: Declan Toland |
| 24 January 2026 Match 3 | Athlone Town | 0–5 | Dundalk | Athlone, County Westmeath |
| 13:00 | Gbemi Arubi 21' (pen.) Harry Groome 40' Declan McDaid 76' Daryl Horgan 83' Declan McDaid 84' |
Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium Attendance: unreported Referee: Mark Houlihan |
Awards
Footnotes
References
- ^ "Ciaran Kilduff named new Dundalk boss". rte.ie. RTÉ. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ "Chris Clinton named Dundalk FC chairperson". dundalkfc.com. dundalkfc.com. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ McDonnell, Daniel. "Dundalk agree deal to sell promising defender Vinnie Leonard to Norwich". independent.ie. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ "Shamrock Rovers-Dundalk clash in Premier Division off after heavy rain". rte.ie. RTÉ. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "Dundalk FC Squad 2025". dundalkfc.com. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2025.