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2026 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2026 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, 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 |
|---|
| 6 February 2026 – 30 October 2026 |
| 53 |
| 134 (2.53 per match) |
| Michael DuffyKristopher TwardekColm Whelan(5 goals each) |
| Dundalk 5–0 Waterford(13 March 2026) |
| Sligo Rovers 0–4 Bohemians(14 February 2026) |
| Galway United 4–3 Waterford(16 March 2026) |
| 5 matchesBohemians |
| 10 matchesBohemians |
| 10 matchesWaterford |
| 5 matchesWaterford |
| 21,472Bohemians 0–0 St Patrick's Athletic(8 February 2026) |
| 1,616Drogheda United 2–3 Galway United(6 April 2026) |
| 203,887 |
| 3,998 |
| ← 2025 2027 → |
| All statistics correct as of 10 April 2026. |
The 2026 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, 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.
Shamrock Rovers are the defending champions, having won their 10th Premier Division title the previous season.
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. They replaced Cork City who were relegated after a single season in the top flight.
| 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 |
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 InteriorsKneecap |
| Derry City | Tiernan Lynch | Michael Duffy | O'Neills | Diamond Corrugated |
| Drogheda United | Kevin Doherty | Ryan Brennan | Macron | NoFo Brew Co |
| Dundalk | Ciarán Kilduff | Daryl Horgan | Macron | ZOMA |
| 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 |
| Sligo Rovers | John Russell | William Fitzgerald | Umbro | Avant Money |
| St Patrick's Athletic | Stephen Kenny | Joe Redmond | Umbro | CluneElliott GroupThe Wolfe Tones |
| Waterford | Jon Daly | Pádraig Amond | Puma | WhiteBox |
| 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 | Pre-season | Jon Daly | 16 November 2025 |
Teams play each other four times (twice at home and twice away).
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.
| 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 |
As of 10 April 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Duffy | Derry City | 5 |
| Kris Twardek | Galway United | ||
| Colm Whelan | Bohemians | ||
| 4 | Mark Doyle | Drogheda United | 4 |
| Ryan Edmondson | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| John Martin | Shelbourne | ||
| Harry Wood | Shelbourne | ||
| 8 | Gbemi Arubi | Dundalk | 3 |
| Eoin Kenny | Dundalk | ||
| Roberto Lopes | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| Romal Palmer | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| Tommy Lonergan | Waterford |
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colm Whelan | Bohemians | Sligo Rovers | 4–0 (A) | 14 February 2026 | |
| Michael Duffy | Derry City | Waterford | 4–2 (H) | 27 February 2026 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Cleansheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 5 | Eddie Beach | Derry City | 2 |
| Enda Minogue | Dundalk | ||
| Sam Sargeant | Sligo Rovers | ||
| Wessel Speel | Shelbourne | ||
| 9 | Stephen McMullan | Waterford | 1 |
| Evan Watts | Galway United |
-
Most yellow cards: 5
- Aodh Dervin (Dundalk)
- Dawson Devoy (Bohemians)
-
Most red cards: 1
- Seven players
-
Most yellow cards: 28
- Shelbourne
-
Most red cards: 3
- Dundalk
| Month | Player of the Month | Goal of the Month | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | Michael Duffy | Derry City | Eoin Kenny | Dundalk | |
| March | Patrick Hickey | Bohemians |
- 2026 League of Ireland First Division
- 2026 League of Ireland Women's Premier Division
- 2026 FAI National League
- 2026 FAI Cup
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