2025–26 Cymru Premier

2025–26 Cymru Premier

The 2025–26 Cymru Premier (Welsh: Uwch Gynghrair Cymru 2025–26; known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons) is the 34th season of the Cymru Premier (formerly known as the Welsh Premier League), the highest football league within Wales since its establishment in 1992. This is the first season of the competition to use VAR (video assistant referee).

The New Saints were league champions - their 18th title and the fifth in row.

Teams

2025–26 Cymru Premier

The league consisted of twelve teams; the top ten teams from the previous season, one team promoted from the Cymru North, and one team promoted from the Cymru South. The New Saints entered the season as defending champions (for the fourth consecutive season). This was the final season to consist of twelve teams, with the league set to expand to sixteen teams from 2026 to 2027.

Team changes

The following teams changed division since the 2024–25 season.

The promoted teams were the 2024–25 Cymru North champions Colwyn Bay (returning to the top flight after a single-season absence), and the 2024–25 Cymru South champions Llanelli Town (returning to the top flight for the first time since 2018–19). They replaced the 2024–25 Cymru Premier bottom two teams Newtown and Aberystwyth Town (both relegated from the Cymru Premier for the first time in their histories).

Stadia and locations

<table><thead><tr><th>Team</th><th>Location</th><th>Stadium</th><th>Capacity</th><th>2024–25 season</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bala Town</td><td>Bala</td><td>Maes Tegid</td><td>3,000</td><td>6th in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>Barry Town United</td><td>Barry</td><td>Jenner Park</td><td>2,650</td><td>7th in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>Briton Ferry Llansawel</td><td>Briton Ferry</td><td>Old Road</td><td>2,300</td><td>10th in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>Caernarfon Town</td><td>Caernarfon</td><td>The Oval</td><td>3,000</td><td>4th in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>Cardiff Metropolitan University</td><td>Cyncoed</td><td>Cyncoed Campus</td><td>1,620</td><td>5th in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>Colwyn Bay↑</td><td>Old Colwyn</td><td>Llanelian Road</td><td>3,000</td><td>1st in Cymru North</td></tr><tr><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>Connah's Quay</td><td>Cae-y-Castell, at Flint</td><td>3,000</td><td>8th in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>Flint Town United</td><td>Flint</td><td>Cae-y-Castell</td><td>3,000</td><td>9th in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>Haverfordwest County</td><td>Haverfordwest</td><td>Bridge Meadow</td><td>2,100</td><td>3rd in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>Llanelli Town↑</td><td>Llanelli</td><td>Stebonheath Park</td><td>3,700</td><td>1st in Cymru South</td></tr><tr><td>Penybont</td><td>Bridgend</td><td>Bryntirion Park</td><td>3,000</td><td>2nd in Cymru Premier</td></tr><tr><td>The New Saints</td><td>Oswestry</td><td>Park Hall</td><td>2,034</td><td>1st in Cymru Premier</td></tr></tbody></table>

Personnel and kits

<table><thead><tr><th>Team</th><th>Head coach</th><th>Captain</th><th>Kit manufacturer</th><th>Front shirt sponsor</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bala Town</td><td>Steve Fisher</td><td>Nathan Burke</td><td>Macron</td><td>Aykroyd's</td></tr><tr><td>Barry Town United</td><td>Andy Legg</td><td>Callum Sainty</td><td>Macron</td><td>RIM Motors</td></tr><tr><td>Briton Ferry Llansawel</td><td>Andy Dyer</td><td>Alex Gammond</td><td>Macron</td><td>Woodpecker Garden Buildings</td></tr><tr><td>Caernarfon Town</td><td>Richard Davies</td><td>Darren Thomas</td><td>Surridge Sport</td><td>Williams Timber Solutions</td></tr><tr><td>Cardiff Metropolitan University</td><td>Ryan Jenkins</td><td>CJ Craven</td><td>Nike</td><td>Nuffield Health</td></tr><tr><td>Colwyn Bay</td><td>Michael Wilde</td><td>Sam Hart</td><td>Hope + Glory</td><td>KHS</td></tr><tr><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>John Disney</td><td>Chris Marriott</td><td>Adidas</td><td>Castle Green Homes</td></tr><tr><td>Flint Town United</td><td>Steve Evans</td><td>Harry Owen</td><td>Macron</td><td>Essity</td></tr><tr><td>Haverfordwest County</td><td>Tony Pennock</td><td>Dylan Rees</td><td>Tor Sports</td><td>DragonBet</td></tr><tr><td>Llanelli Town</td><td>Terry Boyle</td><td>Josef Hopkins</td><td>Macron</td><td>Red Town Taverns</td></tr><tr><td>Penybont</td><td>Rhys Griffiths</td><td>Kane Owen</td><td>Macron</td><td>Nathaniel Cars</td></tr><tr><td>The New Saints</td><td>Craig Harrison</td><td>Daniel Redmond</td><td>Macron</td><td>SiFi Networks</td></tr></tbody></table>

Pre-season

<table><thead><tr><th>Team</th><th>Outgoing manager</th><th>Manner</th><th>Date of vacancy</th><th>Replaced by</th><th>Date of arrival</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>Billy Paynter</td><td>Sacked</td><td>13 April 2025</td><td>John Disney</td><td>25 May 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Bala Town</td><td>Colin Caton</td><td>Resigned</td><td>3 June 2025</td><td>Steve Fisher</td><td>10 June 2025</td></tr></tbody></table>

During the season

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Replaced by	Date of appointment
Round	Position
Llanelli Town	Lee John	Sacked	9 January 2026	21	12th	Terry Boyle	13 January 2026
Barry Town	Steve Jenkins	Changed role	1 February 2026	23	6th	Andy Legg	1 February 2026
Flint Town United	Lee Fowler	Changed role	19 March 2026	29	9th	Steve Evans	19 March 2026

Regular season

League table

<table><thead><tr><th>Pos</th><th>Team</th><th>Pld</th><th>W</th><th>D</th><th>L</th><th>GF</th><th>GA</th><th>GD</th><th>Pts</th><th>Qualification</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>The New Saints</td><td>22</td><td>17</td><td>2</td><td>3</td><td>59</td><td>19</td><td>+40</td><td>53</td><td>Qualification for the Championship Conference</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>22</td><td>14</td><td>5</td><td>3</td><td>48</td><td>25</td><td>+23</td><td>47</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Penybont</td><td>22</td><td>11</td><td>5</td><td>6</td><td>36</td><td>31</td><td>+5</td><td>38</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Caernarfon Town</td><td>22</td><td>9</td><td>7</td><td>6</td><td>44</td><td>32</td><td>+12</td><td>34</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Barry Town United</td><td>22</td><td>7</td><td>9</td><td>6</td><td>33</td><td>25</td><td>+8</td><td>30</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Colwyn Bay</td><td>22</td><td>8</td><td>6</td><td>8</td><td>29</td><td>25</td><td>+4</td><td>30</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Cardiff Metropolitan University</td><td>22</td><td>6</td><td>10</td><td>6</td><td>33</td><td>36</td><td>−3</td><td>28</td><td>Qualification for the Play-Off Conference</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Briton Ferry Llansawel</td><td>22</td><td>6</td><td>7</td><td>9</td><td>32</td><td>40</td><td>−8</td><td>25</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Haverfordwest County</td><td>22</td><td>6</td><td>6</td><td>10</td><td>30</td><td>39</td><td>−9</td><td>24</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Bala Town</td><td>22</td><td>6</td><td>5</td><td>11</td><td>19</td><td>30</td><td>−11</td><td>23</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Flint Town United</td><td>22</td><td>5</td><td>6</td><td>11</td><td>34</td><td>48</td><td>−14</td><td>21</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>Llanelli Town</td><td>22</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>18</td><td>12</td><td>59</td><td>−47</td><td>8</td></tr></tbody></table>

Championship Conference

2025–26 Cymru Premier

The top six teams from the regular season entered the Championship Conference, playing every other team in the group for the third and fourth time (once at home and once away). Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.

League table

<table><thead><tr><th>Pos</th><th>Team</th><th>Pld</th><th>W</th><th>D</th><th>L</th><th>GF</th><th>GA</th><th>GD</th><th>Pts</th><th>Qualification</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>The New Saints (C, Q)</td><td>30</td><td>24</td><td>2</td><td>4</td><td>78</td><td>24</td><td>+54</td><td>74</td><td>Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads (Q)</td><td>30</td><td>16</td><td>9</td><td>5</td><td>59</td><td>35</td><td>+24</td><td>57</td><td>Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Colwyn Bay</td><td>30</td><td>12</td><td>8</td><td>10</td><td>40</td><td>34</td><td>+6</td><td>44</td><td>Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off final</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Barry Town United</td><td>30</td><td>11</td><td>10</td><td>9</td><td>41</td><td>32</td><td>+9</td><td>43</td><td>Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off quarter-finals</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Penybont</td><td>30</td><td>11</td><td>8</td><td>11</td><td>39</td><td>45</td><td>−6</td><td>41</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Caernarfon Town</td><td>30</td><td>10</td><td>9</td><td>11</td><td>52</td><td>47</td><td>+5</td><td>39</td></tr></tbody></table>

Play-Off Conference

2025–26 Cymru Premier

The bottom six teams from the regular season entered the Play-Off Conference, playing every other team in the group for the third and fourth time (once at home and once away). Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
7	Haverfordwest County	30	12	6	12	41	43	−2	42	Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off quarter-finals
8	Briton Ferry Llansawel	30	10	9	11	41	45	−4	39
9	Cardiff Metropolitan University	30	8	13	9	40	46	−6	37
10	Flint Town United	30	8	10	12	46	56	−10	34
11	Bala Town	30	7	8	15	27	43	−16	29	Relegation to the Cymru North or Cymru South
12	Llanelli Town (R)	30	3	4	23	17	71	−54	13

Conference League play-off

2025–26 Cymru Premier

Teams placed 3rd–7th qualify for one-off play-off matches, with the winners earning the third spot in the 2026–27 UEFA Conference League first qualifying round; the higher-placed team per game receive home advantage, and the 3rd-placed team receive a bye to the final. If the 2025–26 Welsh Cup winners finish in the top seven of the Cymru Premier, a spot will be vacated; the 3rd-placed team qualify automatically for the Conference League if the Welsh Cup winners finish in the top two of the Cymru Premier.

Season statistics

Top scorers

<table><thead><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Player</th><th>Club</th><th>Goals</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Jordan Williams</td><td>The New Saints</td><td>24</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Rhys Hughes</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>14</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Harry Franklin</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>13</td></tr><tr><td>Jordan Davies</td><td>Colwyn Bay</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Ryan Brobbel</td><td>The New Saints</td><td>13</td></tr><tr><td>Elliott Reeves</td><td>Flint Town</td></tr></tbody></table>

Hat-trick

<table><thead><tr><th>Player</th><th>For</th><th>Against</th><th>Result</th><th>Date</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Adam Davies</td><td>Caernarfon Town</td><td>Llanelli Town</td><td>6–1 (H)</td><td>16 August 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Noah Daley</td><td>Penybont</td><td>Barry Town United</td><td>2–3 (A)</td><td>22 August 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Elliott Reeves</td><td>Flint Town United</td><td>Llanelli Town</td><td>0–5 (A)</td><td>6 September 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Jordan Williams</td><td>The New Saints</td><td>Haverfordwest County</td><td>5–0 (A)</td><td>6 September 2025</td></tr><tr><td>James Crole</td><td>Penybont</td><td>Cardiff Metropolitan</td><td>0–4 (A)</td><td>23 September 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Harry Franklin</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>Briton Ferry Llansawel</td><td>0–3 (A)</td><td>11 October 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Elliott Reeves</td><td>Flint Town United</td><td>Llanelli Town</td><td>4–0 (H)</td><td>11 October 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Jordan Williams</td><td>The New Saints</td><td>Penybont</td><td>6–2 (H)</td><td>11 October 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Jordan Davies</td><td>Colwyn Bay</td><td>Penybont</td><td>5–4 (H)</td><td>29 November 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Rory Holden</td><td>The New Saints</td><td>Penybont</td><td>6–0 (H)</td><td>7 February 2026</td></tr></tbody></table>

Clean sheets

<table><thead><tr><th>Rank</th><th>Player</th><th>Club</th><th>Clean sheets</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Nathan Shepperd</td><td>The New Saints</td><td>14</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>George Ratcliffe</td><td>Barry Town United</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Kit Margetson</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>8</td></tr><tr><td>Joel Torrance</td><td>Bala Town</td></tr><tr><td>Will Fuller</td><td>Briton Ferry Llansawel</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Jack Flint</td><td>Flint Town</td><td>7</td></tr><tr><td>Alex Brown</td><td>Colwyn Bay</td></tr></tbody></table>

Player

• Most yellow cards: 12 • Joseph Lloyd (Llanelli Town)

• Most red cards: 2 • Mitchell Bates (Briton Ferry Llansawel)

Club

• Most red cards: 4 • Briton Ferry Llansawel • Haverfordwest County • Penybont

• Fewest red cards: 1 • Caernarfon Town • Llanelli • The New Saints

Monthly awards

<table><thead><tr><th>Month</th><th>Player of the Month</th><th>Manager of the Month</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Manager</td><td>Club</td><td>Player</td><td>Club</td></tr><tr><td>July/ August</td><td>Tom Walters</td><td>Briton Ferry Llansawel</td><td>Richard Davies</td><td>Caernarfon Town</td></tr><tr><td>September</td><td>Gabe Kircough</td><td>Penybont</td><td>Craig Harrison</td><td>The New Saints</td></tr><tr><td>October</td><td>Rhys Hughes</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>Michael Wilde</td><td>Colwyn Bay</td></tr><tr><td>November</td><td>Jordan Williams</td><td>The New Saints</td><td>John Disney</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td></tr><tr><td>December</td><td>Harry Franklin</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>John Disney</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td></tr><tr><td>January</td><td>Rhys Hughes</td><td>Connah's Quay Nomads</td><td>Craig Harrison</td><td>The New Saints</td></tr><tr><td>February</td><td>Ben Margetson</td><td>Barry Town United</td><td>Andy Legg</td><td>Barry Town United</td></tr><tr><td>March</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>April</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>