2026 League of Ireland Premier Division
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 February 2026 – 30 October 2026 |
| Matches | 35 |
| Goals | 87 (2.49 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Michael Duffy Kris Twardek Colm Whelan Harry Wood (4 goals each) |
| Biggest home win | Dundalk 5–0 Waterford (13 March 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Sligo Rovers 0–4 Bohemians (14 February 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Galway United 4–3 Waterford (16 March 2026) |
| Longest winning run | 5 matches Bohemians |
| Longest unbeaten run | 7 matches Bohemians |
| Longest winless run | 7 matches Waterford |
| Longest losing run | 4 matches Waterford |
| Highest attendance | 21,472 Bohemians 0–0 St Patrick's Athletic (8 February 2026) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,836 Galway United 4–3 Waterford (16 March 2026) |
| Total attendance | 147,436 |
| Average attendance | 4,212 |
← 2025 2027 →
All statistics correct as of 16 March 2026. | |
The 2026 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the 42nd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985.
The competition began on 6 February 2026 and is set to conclude on 30 October 2026.[2]
Shamrock Rovers are the defending champions, having won their 10th Premier Division title the previous season.
Teams
The league consists 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.[4]
Stadiums and locations
Dublin
Locations of Premier Division teams
Locations of Dublin Premier Division teams
| 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 | 5,750 |
| 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 | Michael Duffy | O'Neills | Diamond Corrugated |
| Drogheda United | Kevin Doherty | Ryan Brennan | Macron | NoFo Brew Co[5] |
| Dundalk | Ciarán Kilduff | Daryl Horgan[6] | Macron | ZOMA[7] |
| Galway United | John Caulfield | Jimmy Keohane | O'Neills | Comer Property Management |
| Shamrock Rovers | Stephen Bradley | Roberto Lopes | Macron | MASCOT Workwear |
| Shelbourne | Joey O'Brien | Paddy Barrett | O'Neills | Chadwicks[8] |
| Sligo Rovers | John Russell | William Fitzgerald | Umbro | Avant Money[9] |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Stephen Kenny | Joe Redmond | Umbro | Clune[10] The Wolfe Tones[note 1][11] |
| Waterford | Jon Daly | Pádraig Amond[12] | Puma | WhiteBox[13] |
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[14] | Pre-season | Jon Daly | 16 November 2025[14] |
League table
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bohemians | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 17 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | St Patrick's Athletic | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 14 | Qualification for Conference League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Shamrock Rovers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 12 | Qualification for Conference League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Dundalk | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 10 | |
| 5 | Shelbourne | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 10 | |
| 6 | Derry City | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 8 | |
| 7 | Galway United | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 8 | |
| 8 | Drogheda United | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 8 | |
| 9 | Sligo Rovers | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 4 | Qualification for promotion/relegation play-off |
| 10 | Waterford | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 17 | −11 | 2 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
Updated to match(es) played on 16 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.
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 |
Updated to match(es) played on 16 March 2026. Source: Extra Time
Season statistics
- As of 16 March 2026
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Duffy | Derry City | 4 |
| Kris Twardek | Galway United | ||
| Colm Whelan | Bohemians | ||
| Harry Wood | Shelbourne | ||
| 5 | Ryan Edmondson | St Patrick's Athletic | 3 |
| Eoin Kenny | Dundalk | ||
| John Martin | Shelbourne | ||
| Tommy Lonergan | Waterford | ||
| 9 | Gbemi Arubi | Dundalk | 2 |
| Mark Doyle | Drogheda United | ||
| Daryl Horgan | Dundalk | ||
| Aidan Keena | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| Kian Leavy | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| Roberto Lopes | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| Daniel Mullen | Dundalk | ||
| Romal Palmer | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| Dylan Watts | Shamrock Rovers |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colm Whelan | Bohemians | Sligo Rovers | 4–0 (A) | 14 February 2026 | [15] |
| Michael Duffy | Derry City | Waterford | 4–2 (H) | 27 February 2026 | [16] |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kacper Chorążka | Bohemians | 6 |
| 2 | Joseph Anang | St Patrick's Athletic | 4 |
| Edward McGinty | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 4 | Luke Dennison | Drogheda United | 3 |
| 5 | Eddie Beach | Derry City | 1 |
| Stephen McMullan | Waterford | ||
| Enda Minogue | Dundalk | ||
| Sam Sargeant | Sligo Rovers | ||
| Wessel Speel | Shelbourne | ||
| Evan Watts | Galway United |
Discipline
Player
- Most yellow cards: 4
- Conor Keeley (Drogheda United)
- Most red cards: 1
- Aodh Dervin (Dundalk)
- Vinnie Leonard (Dundalk)
- Roberto Lopes (Shamrock Rovers)
- Carl McHugh (Sligo Rovers)
Club
- Most yellow cards: 19
- Drogheda United
- Shelbourne
- Most red cards: 2
- Dundalk
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | Goal of the Month | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | ||
| February | Michael Duffy | Derry City | [17] | ||
See also
- 2026 League of Ireland First Division
- 2026 League of Ireland Women's Premier Division
- 2026 FAI National League
- 2026 FAI Cup
Notes
- ^ Third kit
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.
- ^ "Shels nab late winner to confirm Cork City's relegation". RTE Sport. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Clune Confirmed As Home Shirt Sponsor". St Patrick's Athletic. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "26/27 Third Jersey With The Wolfe Tones Released". St Patrick's Athletic. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Goulden, David (14 February 2026). "Wonderful Colm Whelan tears Sligo apart with hat-trick". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026.
- ^ Keenan, Niall (27 February 2026). "Derry City: Michael Duffy hat-trick inspires Derry to comeback victory". BBC Sport.
- ^ O'Connor, Seán (10 March 2026). "'I have come back to my roots' – Derry City's Michael Duffy wins Soccer Writers' Player of Month award". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 March 2026.