NIFL Charity Shield
Association football cup in Northern Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Northern Ireland Football League Charity Shield is the national association football super cup in Northern Ireland. It has been held on an occasional basis since its inauguration in 1992. It pits together the previous campaign's NIFL Premiership champions and Irish Cup winners, providing the opening match of the Irish League season.
| Founded | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Region | Northern Ireland |
| Teams | 2 |
| Current champions | Dungannon Swifts (2025) |
| Most championships | Linfield – 4 titles (3 outright, 1 shared) |
| Website | NI Football League |
Dungannon Swifts are the current holders, after they defeated Linfield 5–3 on penalties in the 2025 edition to win the competition for the first time.[1]
Sponsorship
McEwan's Lager sponsored the competition between 1992 and 1994, and Wilkinson Sword were sponsors from 1998 until 2000, both of whom also sponsored other competitions in Irish League football. The proceeds from the 2014 and 2015 editions were donated to the Northern Ireland Hospice.[2]
Format
The Shield is held in early August as a single match. In the 1992 and 1993 editions, the trophy was shared between the two competing sides for six months when both matches finished level at full-time. However, the rules were later changed to ensure an outright winner. In the 2014 edition, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner when the match ended level after 90 minutes, without extra time being played.
Results
Key:
| & | Title was shared after match finished in a draw |
| pens. | Scores level after extra time. A penalty shootout was required to determine the winner. |
| pens. | Scores level after full time. A penalty shootout was required to determine the winner. |
| Year | Date | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 8 August | Glenavon Glentoran |
1–1& | — | Windsor Park, Belfast | 2,000 | [3] |
| 1993 | 10 August | Bangor Linfield |
1–1& | — | Windsor Park, Belfast | ||
| 1994 | 3 August | Linfield | 2–0 | Bangor | Windsor Park, Belfast | ||
| 1998 | 8 August | Cliftonville | 1–0 | Glentoran | The Oval, Belfast | 2,000 | [4] |
| 1999 | 8 August | Portadown | 2–1 | Glentoran | Mourneview Park, Lurgan | 2,000 | [5] |
| 2000 | 5 August | Linfield | 2–0 | Glentoran | Windsor Park, Belfast | 10,500 | [6] |
| 2014 | 2 August | Cliftonville | 0 – 0 (a.e.t.) (4 – 2 pens.) | Ballymena United | Solitude, Belfast | [7] | |
| 2015 | 1 August | Glentoran | 1–0 | Crusaders | Solitude, Belfast | [8] | |
| 2016 | 30 July | Glenavon | 1–0 | Crusaders | Mourneview Park, Lurgan | [9] | |
| 2017 | 5 August | Linfield | 3–1 | Coleraine | The Oval, Belfast | [10] | |
| 2022 | 6 August | Crusaders | 2–0 | Linfield | Windsor Park, Belfast | [11] | |
| 2023 | 1 July | Crusaders | 2–0 | Larne | Inver Park, Larne | [12] | |
| 2024 | 5 July | Larne | 2–1 | Cliftonville | Inver Park, Larne | [13] | |
| 2025 | 4 July | Dungannon Swifts | 0 – 0 (5 – 3 pens.) | Linfield | Windsor Park, Belfast | [1] |
Performance by club
| Team | Wins | Years | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linfield | 4 (1 shared) | 1993 (shared), 1994, 2000, 2017 | 2022, 2025 |
| Crusaders | 2 | 2022, 2023 | 2015, 2016 |
| Cliftonville | 2 | 1998, 2014 | 2024 |
| Glentoran | 2 (1 shared) | 1992 (shared), 2015 | 1998, 1999, 2000 |
| Glenavon | 2 (1 shared) | 1992 (shared), 2016 | — |
| Larne | 1 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Portadown | 1 | 1999 | — |
| Dungannon Swifts | 1 | 2025 | — |
| Bangor | 1 (shared) | 1993 (shared) | 1994 |
| Ballymena United | — | — | 2014 |
| Coleraine | — | — | 2017 |