2025–26 NIFL Premiership
Season of Irish football
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The 2025–26 NIFL Premiership (known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the 18th season of the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of league football in Northern Ireland and the 125th season of Irish League football overall.
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 August 2025 – 25 April 2026 |
| Champions | Larne |
| Relegated | Glenavon |
| UEFA Champions League | Larne |
| UEFA Conference League | Coleraine Glentoran Linfield |
| Top goalscorer | Patrick Hoban (25 goals) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
Teams
The league consisted of twelve teams; the top eleven teams from the previous season, and one team promoted from the NIFL Championship. Linfield entered the season as defending champions.[1]
The promoted team was the 2024–25 NIFL Championship champions Bangor (returning to the top flight after a sixteen-year absence). They replaced the 2024–25 NIFL Premiership bottom-placed team Loughgall (relegated from the top flight after two years).
Stadia and locations
| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity[2][3] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | The Showgrounds | Ballymena | 3,824 (all seated) |
| Bangor | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 1,895 (500 seated) |
| Carrick Rangers | Loughshore Hotel Arena | Carrickfergus | 2,100 (380 seated) |
| Cliftonville | Solitude | Belfast | 3,054 (all seated) |
| Coleraine | The Showgrounds | Coleraine | 4,843 (1,607 seated) |
| Crusaders | Seaview | Belfast | 3,208 (all seated) |
| Dungannon Swifts | Stangmore Park | Dungannon | 2,000 (300 seated) |
| Glenavon | Mourneview Park | Lurgan | 3,302 (all seated) |
| Glentoran | The Oval | Belfast | 6,054 (3,991 seated) |
| Larne | Inver Park | Larne | 2,732 (1,632 seated) |
| Linfield | Windsor Park | Belfast | 18,434 (all seated) |
| Portadown | Shamrock Park | Portadown | 3,940 (2,765 seated) |
Personnel and sponsoring
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United |  Oran Kearney |
Sean O'Neill |
Playr-Fit | Wrightbus |
| Bangor | Lee Feeney |
Lewis Harrison |
Macron | bailieproperty.com |
| Carrick Rangers | Stephen Baxter |
Luke McCullough |
Puma | Hankook |
| Cliftonville | Jim Magilton |
 Rory Hale |
O'Neills | Sean Graham |
| Coleraine | Ruaidhrí Higgins |
Lyndon Kane |
Macron | Fibrus |
| Crusaders | Declan Caddell |
Jarlath O'Rourke |
Adidas | BoyleSports |
| Dungannon Swifts | Rodney McAree |
 Gaël Bigirimana |
Uhlsport | Ten Square Hotel |
| Glenavon | Michael O'Connor |
Barney McKeown |
Adidas | Avondale Foods |
| Glentoran | Declan Devine |
Marcus Kane |
Macron | Bet McLean |
| Larne | Gary Haveron |
Tomás Cosgrove |
Nike | Pride & Pinion |
| Linfield | David Healy |
Jamie Mulgrew |
Macron | Ready Construction |
| Portadown | David Jeffrey |
Gary Thompson |
Adidas | DFDS |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing | Manner | Exit date | Position in table | Incoming | Incoming date | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced on | Departed on | Announced on | Arrived on | ||||||
| Larne |  Nathan Rooney |
Mutual consent | 18 August 2025 | 10th | Gary Haveron[a] |
18 August 2025 | [4][5] | ||
| Glenavon | Paddy McLaughlin |
Sacked | 28 September 2025 | 12th | David McDaid (interim) |
30 September 2025 | [6] | ||
| David McDaid |
End of caretaker spell | 11 October 2025 | 12th | Michael O'Connor |
11 October 2025 | [7] | |||
| Ballymena United | Jim Ervin |
Sacked | 30 November 2025 | 8th | Ciaran Caldwell (interim) |
30 November 2025 | [8] | ||
| Ciaran Caldwell |
End of caretaker spell | 7 December 2025 | 9th | Oran Kearney |
7 December 2025 | [9] | |||
| Portadown | Niall Currie |
Sacked | 15 April 2026 | 8th | Gary Thompson (interim) |
17 April 2026 | [10] | ||
| Gary Thompson |
End of caretaker spell | 22 April 2026 | 8th | David Jeffrey |
22 April 2026 | [11] | |||
- Haveron was initially appointed as interim manager, before being appointed permanent manager on 15 October 2025.
Regular season
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Larne | 33 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 60 | 22 | +38 | 73 | Qualification for the Section A |
| 2 | Glentoran | 33 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 63 | 30 | +33 | 69 | |
| 3 | Coleraine | 33 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 62 | 31 | +31 | 65 | |
| 4 | Linfield | 33 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 56 | 24 | +32 | 62 | |
| 5 | Cliftonville | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 47 | |
| 6 | Dungannon Swifts | 33 | 15 | 1 | 17 | 40 | 58 | −18 | 46 | |
| 7 | Carrick Rangers | 33 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 49 | 51 | −2 | 43 | Qualification for the Section B |
| 8 | Bangor | 33 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 38 | 57 | −19 | 36 | |
| 9 | Portadown | 33 | 11 | 3 | 19 | 36 | 57 | −21 | 36 | |
| 10 | Ballymena United | 33 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 39 | 50 | −11 | 34 | |
| 11 | Crusaders | 33 | 7 | 5 | 21 | 38 | 72 | −34 | 26 | |
| 12 | Glenavon | 33 | 8 | 1 | 24 | 33 | 63 | −30 | 25 |
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[12]
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).
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 | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Larne (C) | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 73 | 26 | +47 | 83 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Coleraine | 38 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 83 | 37 | +46 | 80 | Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round[a] |
| 3 | Glentoran | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 73 | 38 | +35 | 77 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round[a] |
| 4 | Linfield (O) | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 61 | 33 | +28 | 66 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off |
| 5 | Cliftonville | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 53 | |
| 6 | Dungannon Swifts | 38 | 15 | 1 | 22 | 42 | 77 | −35 | 46 |
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
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
Notes:
- Coleraine qualified for the Conference League second qualifying round as the 2025–26 Irish Cup winners. Since they qualified based on league position, the Conference League first qualifying round spot was passed to the third-placed team.
Results
Section B
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Carrick Rangers | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 64 | 58 | +6 | 53 | Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off |
| 8 | Portadown | 38 | 13 | 5 | 20 | 44 | 66 | −22 | 44 | |
| 9 | Ballymena United | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 46 | 58 | −12 | 39 | |
| 10 | Bangor | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 41 | 65 | −24 | 39 | |
| 11 | Crusaders (O) | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 48 | 81 | −33 | 36 | Qualification for the NIFL Premiership play-off |
| 12 | Glenavon (R) | 38 | 8 | 4 | 26 | 37 | 69 | −32 | 28 | Relegation to the 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[13]
(O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Results
Play-offs
Conference League play-off
Teams placed 3rd–7th qualified for one-off play-off matches, with the winners earning the second spot in the 2026–27 UEFA Conference League first qualifying round; the higher-placed team per game received home advantage. Since the 2025–26 Irish Cup winners (Coleraine) finished in the top seven (2nd), the 3rd-placed team (Glentoran) qualified automatically for the Conference League first qualifying round and the spot was vacated. The 4th-placed team (Linfield) qualified directly to the final by winning the 2025–26 BetMcLean Cup.
Quarter-final
| 6 May 2026 | Dungannon Swifts (6th) | 3–1 | Carrick Rangers (7th) | Dungannon |
| 19:45 | Alves  21'Marron 49'Dillon 70' |
McCullough 38' |
Stadium: Stangmore Park Referee: Shane Andrews |
Semi-final
| 9 May 2026 | Cliftonville (5th) | 1–2 | Dungannon Swifts (6th) | Belfast |
| 18:00 | Conlan 34' |
Glenny 30' Dillon 74' |
Stadium: Solitude Referee: Chris Morrison |
Final
| 12 May 2026 | Linfield (4th) | 3–1 | Dungannon Swifts (6th) | Belfast |
| 19:45 | Fitzpatrick 14', 64', 70' |
Moore 87' |
Stadium: Windsor Park Referee: Tony Clarke |
NIFL Premiership play-off
The eleventh-placed team (Crusaders) faced the second-placed team of the 2025–26 NIFL Championship (Annagh United) in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the 2026–27 NIFL Premiership.
First leg
| 28 April 2026 | Annagh United | 2–3 | Crusaders | Portadown |
| 19:45 | Rogers 24' Upton 45' |
Dunlop 45+2' Bryden 54'Maguire 90+1' |
Stadium: BMG Arena |
