2025–26 NIFL Premiership

The 2025–26 NIFL Premiership (known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is 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.

Source: Wikipedia

Article

2025–26 NIFL Premiership

The 2025–26 NIFL Premiership (known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is 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.

Teams

2025–26 NIFL Premiership

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.

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

<table><thead><tr><th>Club</th><th>Stadium</th><th>Location</th><th>Capacity</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Ballymena United</td><td>The Showgrounds</td><td>Ballymena</td><td>3,824 (all seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Bangor</td><td>Clandeboye Park</td><td>Bangor</td><td>1,895 (500 seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Carrick Rangers</td><td>Loughshore Hotel Arena</td><td>Carrickfergus</td><td>2,100 (380 seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Cliftonville</td><td>Solitude</td><td>Belfast</td><td>3,054 (all seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Coleraine</td><td>The Showgrounds</td><td>Coleraine</td><td>4,843 (1,607 seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Crusaders</td><td>Seaview</td><td>Belfast</td><td>3,208 (all seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Dungannon Swifts</td><td>Stangmore Park</td><td>Dungannon</td><td>2,000 (300 seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Glenavon</td><td>Mourneview Park</td><td>Lurgan</td><td>3,302 (all seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Glentoran</td><td>The Oval</td><td>Belfast</td><td>6,054 (3,991 seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Larne</td><td>Inver Park</td><td>Larne</td><td>2,732 (1,632 seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Linfield</td><td>Windsor Park</td><td>Belfast</td><td>18,434 (all seated)</td></tr><tr><td>Portadown</td><td>Shamrock Park</td><td>Portadown</td><td>3,940 (2,765 seated)</td></tr></tbody></table>

Personnel and sponsoring

<table><thead><tr><th>Team</th><th>Manager</th><th>Captain</th><th>Kit manufacturer</th><th>Shirt sponsor (front)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Ballymena United</td><td>Oran Kearney</td><td>Sean O'Neill</td><td>Playr-Fit</td><td>Wrightbus</td></tr><tr><td>Bangor</td><td>Lee Feeney</td><td>Lewis Harrison</td><td>Macron</td><td>bailieproperty.com</td></tr><tr><td>Carrick Rangers</td><td>Stephen Baxter</td><td>Luke McCullough</td><td>Puma</td><td>Hankook</td></tr><tr><td>Cliftonville</td><td>Jim Magilton</td><td>Rory Hale</td><td>O'Neills</td><td>Sean Graham</td></tr><tr><td>Coleraine</td><td>Ruaidhrí Higgins</td><td>Lyndon Kane</td><td>Macron</td><td>Fibrus</td></tr><tr><td>Crusaders</td><td>Declan Caddell</td><td>Jarlath O'Rourke</td><td>Adidas</td><td>BoyleSports</td></tr><tr><td>Dungannon Swifts</td><td>Rodney McAree</td><td>Gaël Bigirimana</td><td>Uhlsport</td><td>Ten Square Hotel</td></tr><tr><td>Glenavon</td><td>Michael O'Connor</td><td>Barney McKeown</td><td>Adidas</td><td>Avondale Foods</td></tr><tr><td>Glentoran</td><td>Declan Devine</td><td>Marcus Kane</td><td>Macron</td><td>Bet McLean</td></tr><tr><td>Larne</td><td>Gary Haveron</td><td>Tomás Cosgrove</td><td>Nike</td><td>Pride & Pinion</td></tr><tr><td>Linfield</td><td>David Healy</td><td>Jamie Mulgrew</td><td>Macron</td><td>Ready Construction</td></tr><tr><td>Portadown</td><td>Niall Currie</td><td>Gary Thompson</td><td>Adidas</td><td>DFDS</td></tr></tbody></table>

Managerial changes

<table><thead><tr><th>Team</th><th>Outgoing</th><th>Manner</th><th>Exit date</th><th>Position in table</th><th>Incoming</th><th>Incoming date</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Announced on</td><td>Departed on</td><td>Announced on</td><td>Arrived on</td></tr><tr><td>Larne</td><td>Nathan Rooney</td><td>Mutual consent</td><td>18 August 2025</td><td>10th</td><td>Gary Haveron</td><td>18 August 2025</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Glenavon</td><td>Paddy McLaughlin</td><td>Sacked</td><td>28 September 2025</td><td>12th</td><td>David McDaid (interim)</td><td>30 September 2025</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>David McDaid</td><td>End of caretaker spell</td><td>11 October 2025</td><td>12th</td><td>Michael O'Connor</td><td>11 October 2025</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ballymena United</td><td>Jim Ervin</td><td>Sacked</td><td>30 November 2025</td><td>8th</td><td>Ciaran Caldwell (interim)</td><td>30 November 2025</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ciaran Caldwell</td><td>End of caretaker spell</td><td>7 December 2025</td><td>9th</td><td>Oran Kearney</td><td>7 December 2025</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

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>Larne</td><td>33</td><td>22</td><td>7</td><td>4</td><td>60</td><td>22</td><td>+38</td><td>73</td><td>Qualification for Section A</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Glentoran</td><td>33</td><td>21</td><td>6</td><td>6</td><td>63</td><td>30</td><td>+33</td><td>69</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Coleraine</td><td>33</td><td>20</td><td>5</td><td>8</td><td>62</td><td>31</td><td>+31</td><td>65</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Linfield</td><td>33</td><td>18</td><td>8</td><td>7</td><td>56</td><td>24</td><td>+32</td><td>62</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Cliftonville</td><td>33</td><td>13</td><td>8</td><td>12</td><td>49</td><td>48</td><td>+1</td><td>47</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Dungannon Swifts</td><td>33</td><td>15</td><td>1</td><td>17</td><td>40</td><td>58</td><td>−18</td><td>46</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Carrick Rangers</td><td>33</td><td>12</td><td>7</td><td>14</td><td>49</td><td>51</td><td>−2</td><td>43</td><td>Qualification for Section B</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Bangor</td><td>33</td><td>10</td><td>6</td><td>17</td><td>38</td><td>57</td><td>−19</td><td>36</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Portadown</td><td>33</td><td>11</td><td>3</td><td>19</td><td>36</td><td>57</td><td>−21</td><td>36</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Ballymena United</td><td>33</td><td>9</td><td>7</td><td>17</td><td>39</td><td>50</td><td>−11</td><td>34</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Crusaders</td><td>33</td><td>7</td><td>5</td><td>21</td><td>38</td><td>72</td><td>−34</td><td>26</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>Glenavon</td><td>33</td><td>8</td><td>1</td><td>24</td><td>33</td><td>63</td><td>−30</td><td>25</td></tr></tbody></table>

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

2025–26 NIFL Premiership

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.

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>Larne</td><td>34</td><td>23</td><td>7</td><td>4</td><td>62</td><td>22</td><td>+40</td><td>76</td><td>Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Glentoran</td><td>34</td><td>21</td><td>7</td><td>6</td><td>64</td><td>31</td><td>+33</td><td>70</td><td>Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Coleraine</td><td>34</td><td>21</td><td>5</td><td>8</td><td>64</td><td>32</td><td>+32</td><td>68</td><td>Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Linfield</td><td>34</td><td>18</td><td>9</td><td>7</td><td>57</td><td>25</td><td>+32</td><td>63</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Cliftonville</td><td>34</td><td>13</td><td>8</td><td>13</td><td>49</td><td>50</td><td>−1</td><td>47</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Dungannon Swifts</td><td>34</td><td>15</td><td>1</td><td>18</td><td>41</td><td>60</td><td>−19</td><td>46</td></tr></tbody></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 or relegation</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>7</td><td>Carrick Rangers</td><td>34</td><td>13</td><td>7</td><td>14</td><td>55</td><td>52</td><td>+3</td><td>46</td><td>Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Bangor</td><td>33</td><td>10</td><td>6</td><td>17</td><td>38</td><td>57</td><td>−19</td><td>36</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Portadown</td><td>33</td><td>11</td><td>3</td><td>19</td><td>36</td><td>57</td><td>−21</td><td>36</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Ballymena United</td><td>33</td><td>9</td><td>7</td><td>17</td><td>39</td><td>50</td><td>−11</td><td>34</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Crusaders</td><td>34</td><td>7</td><td>5</td><td>22</td><td>39</td><td>78</td><td>−39</td><td>26</td><td>Qualification for the NIFL Premiership play-off</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>Glenavon</td><td>33</td><td>8</td><td>1</td><td>24</td><td>33</td><td>63</td><td>−30</td><td>25</td><td>Relegation to the NIFL Championship</td></tr></tbody></table>

Play-offs

Conference League play-off

Teams placed 3rd–7th qualify for one-off play-off matches (the 4th-7th placed teams entering the quarter-finals and the 3rd-placed team entering the final), with the winners earning the second spot in the 2026–27 UEFA Conference League first qualifying round. Since the 2025–26 Irish Cup winners will finish in the top seven, a spot and the quarter-finals will be vacated. The higher-placed team per game receive home advantage.

NIFL Premiership play-off

The eleventh-placed team will face the second-placed team of the 2025–26 NIFL Championship in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the 2026–27 NIFL Premiership.