2026 League of Ireland Premier Division
42nd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division
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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.
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 February 2026 – 30 October 2026 |
| Matches | 63 |
| Goals | 165 (2.62 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ryan Edmondson Colm Whelan (6 goals) |
| 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) Shelbourne 3–4 Drogheda United (24 March 2026) |
| Longest winning run | 5 matches Bohemians |
| Longest unbeaten run | 10 matches Bohemians |
| Longest winless run | 12 matches Waterford |
| Longest losing run | 5 matches Waterford |
| Highest attendance | 21,472 Bohemians 0–0 St Patrick's Athletic (8 February 2026) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,616 Drogheda United 2–3 Galway United (6 April 2026) |
| Total attendance | 254,697 |
| Average attendance | 4,043 |
← 2025 2027 →
All statistics correct as of 25 April 2026. | |
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
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohemians | Dublin (Phibsborough) | Dalymount Park[note 1] | 4,500 |
| Derry City | Derry | Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium | 6,242 |
| Celtic Park[5] | 18,500 | ||
| 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 Kneecap[note 2] |
| Derry City |  Tiernan Lynch |
Michael Duffy |
O'Neills | Diamond Corrugated |
| Drogheda United | Kevin Doherty |
Ryan Brennan |
Macron | NoFo Brew Co[6] |
| Dundalk | Ciarán Kilduff |
Daryl Horgan[7] |
Macron | ZOMA[8] |
| 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[9] |
| Sligo Rovers | John Russell |
William Fitzgerald |
Umbro | Avant Money[10] |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Stephen Kenny |
Joe Redmond |
Umbro | Clune[11] Elliott Group[note 3][12] The Wolfe Tones[note 4][13] |
| Waterford | Jon Daly |
Pádraig Amond[14] |
Puma | WhiteBox[15] |
Managerial changes
League table
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Patrick's Athletic | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 11 | +13 | 26 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Shamrock Rovers | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 11 | +8 | 25 | Qualification for Conference League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Dundalk | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 21 | Qualification for Conference League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Bohemians | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 11 | +4 | 20 | |
| 5 | Derry City | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 17 | |
| 6 | Galway United | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 17 | −2 | 15 | |
| 7 | Sligo Rovers | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 17 | −7 | 14 | |
| 8 | Shelbourne | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 21 | −2 | 13 | |
| 9 | Drogheda United | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 13 | Qualification for promotion/relegation play-off |
| 10 | Waterford | 12 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 24 | −15 | 5 | 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 |
Season statistics
- As of 25 April 2026
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[17] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ryan Edmondson |
St Patrick's Athletic | 6 |
| Colm Whelan |
Bohemians | ||
| 3 | Michael Duffy |
Derry City | 5 |
| John Martin |
Shelbourne | ||
 Kris Twardek |
Galway United | ||
| Harry Wood |
Shelbourne | ||
| 7 | Gbemi Arubi |
Dundalk | 4 |
| Graham Burke |
Shamrock Rovers | ||
| Mark Doyle |
Drogheda United | ||
| William Fitzgerald |
Sligo Rovers |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colm Whelan |
Bohemians | Sligo Rovers | 4–0 (A) | 14 February 2026 | [18] |
| Michael Duffy |
Derry City | Waterford | 4–2 (H) | 27 February 2026 | [19] |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kacper Chorążka |
Bohemians | 7 |
| 2 | Edward McGinty |
Shamrock Rovers | 6 |
| 3 |  Joseph Anang |
St Patrick's Athletic | 5 |
| 4 |  Luke Dennison |
Drogheda United | 4 |
| Sam Sargeant |
Sligo Rovers | ||
| 6 |  Eddie Beach |
Derry City | 3 |
| 7 | Enda Minogue |
Dundalk | 2 |
 Wessel Speel |
Shelbourne | ||
| 9 | Stephen McMullan |
Waterford | 1 |
| Evan Watts |
Galway United |
Discipline
Player
- Most yellow cards: 6
Dawson Devoy (Bohemians)
- Most red cards: 1
- Seven players
Club
- Most yellow cards: 36
- Shelbourne
- Most red cards: 3
- Dundalk
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Player of the Month | Goal of the Month | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Player | Club | ||
| February | Michael Duffy |
Derry City | Eoin Kenny |
Dundalk | [20][21] |
| March | Patrick Hickey |
Bohemians | Jack Henry-Francis |
Shelbourne | [22][23] |
See also
- 2026 League of Ireland First Division
- 2026 League of Ireland Women's Premier Division
- 2026 FAI National League
- 2026 FAI Cup
Notes
- Bohemians played their opening home match of the season at the Aviva Stadium
- Away & Third kits
- Away kit
- Third kit