Premier Division is a men’s league competition in Ireland, with recorded coverage spanning the 2019 to 2025 seasons. Follow fixtures, live scores and results, then review standings alongside player and team statistics across the competition’s recorded seasons. Use the page to explore the available competition data in one place.
Upcoming matches, Premier Division
Regular Season - 32
-
- Regular Season - 32
Derry City
Galway United
-
- Regular Season - 32
Dundalk
Shelbourne
Oriel Park -
- Regular Season - 32
Bohemians
Drogheda United
Dalymount Park -
- Regular Season - 32
Shamrock Rovers
Waterford
Tallaght Stadium -
- Regular Season - 32
Sligo Rovers
St Patrick's Athl.
Regular Season - 33
-
- Regular Season - 33
Derry City
St Patrick's Athl.
-
- Regular Season - 33
Shelbourne
Sligo Rovers
Tolka Park
-
- Regular Season - 33
Waterford
Galway United
-
- Regular Season - 33
Dundalk
Bohemians
Oriel Park
-
- Regular Season - 33
Shamrock Rovers
Drogheda United
Tallaght Stadium
Latest played matches, Premier Division
Regular Season - 30
Regular Season - 31
Regular Season - 28
Premier Division Standings
| Rank | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Shamrock Rovers | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 46 | 29 | 17 | 56 | LDDWD |
| 2 |
|
St Patrick's Athl. | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 47 | 25 | 22 | 53 | WLWWD |
| 3 |
|
Bohemians | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53 | 36 | 17 | 53 | WWWLD |
| 4 |
|
Dundalk | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 47 | 46 | 1 | 41 | DWLLD |
| 5 |
|
Derry City | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 42 | 40 | 2 | 37 | WDLWD |
| 6 |
|
Shelbourne | 29 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 37 | 40 | -3 | 36 | LDDLL |
| 7 |
|
Galway United | 29 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 38 | 45 | -7 | 34 | LDWDD |
| 8 |
|
Waterford | 30 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 40 | 49 | -9 | 33 | DWDWW |
| 9 |
|
Drogheda United | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 35 | 48 | -13 | 31 | WLLDD |
| 10 |
|
Sligo Rovers | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 23 | 50 | -27 | 23 | LLDLD |
Premier Division Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
D. Horgan
Dundalk |
9 |
| 2 |
T. Lonergan
Waterford |
9 |
| 3 |
R. Edmondson
St Patrick's Athl. |
9 |
| 4 |
P. Amond
Waterford |
8 |
| 5 |
A. Keena
St Patrick's Athl. |
7 |
| 6 |
G. Burke
Shamrock Rovers |
7 |
| 7 |
M. Doyle
Drogheda United |
7 |
| 8 |
J. Martin
Shelbourne |
6 |
| 9 |
G. Arubi
Dundalk |
6 |
| 10 |
C. Whelan
Bohemians |
6 |
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
D. Horgan
Dundalk |
7 |
| 2 |
Benny Couto
Waterford |
6 |
| 3 |
K. Twardek
Galway United |
6 |
| 4 |
B. Kavanagh
Drogheda United |
5 |
| 5 |
H. Wood
Shelbourne |
5 |
| 6 |
M. Strods
Bohemians |
4 |
| 7 |
Z. Elbouzedi
St Patrick's Athl. |
4 |
| 8 |
H. Vaughan
Bohemians |
4 |
| 9 |
A. Keena
St Patrick's Athl. |
4 |
| 10 |
E. Kenny
Dundalk |
3 |
Top tackles
Premier Division teams participation since 2019
History
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| Shamrock Rovers | 7 |
| Derry City | 7 |
| Bohemians | 7 |
| Sligo Rovers | 7 |
| St Patrick's Athl. | 7 |
| Waterford | 7 |
| Dundalk | 6 |
| Drogheda United | 5 |
| Shelbourne | 5 |
| Cork City | 4 |
| Finn Harps | 4 |
| UCD | 4 |
| Bray Wanderers | 2 |
| Galway United | 2 |
| Longford Town | 1 |
Premier Division top scorer teams
Goals scored vs. conversion rate
| Team | Goals scored | Total shots | Conversion % |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Patrick's Athl. | 45 | 435 |
|
| Bohemians | 39 | 404 |
|
| Dundalk | 39 | 400 |
|
| Waterford | 37 | 333 |
|
| Shamrock Rovers | 35 | 327 |
|
| Derry City | 34 | 329 |
|
| Galway United | 33 | 300 |
|
| Drogheda United | 31 | 268 |
|
| Shelbourne | 31 | 338 |
|
| Sligo Rovers | 20 | 249 |
|
Premier Division About
Premier Division is the men’s top-level professional league in the Republic of Ireland, forming the highest division in the League of Ireland and a season-long competition rather than a knockout cup. Its current official identity is the League of Ireland Premier Division, and it is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).
Role in Irish football
The Premier Division exists to determine Ireland’s national league champion and provide the country’s leading clubs with a structured route into European football. It is the summit of the domestic pyramid, combining established rivalries with a pathway for player development and professional competition. Clubs must obtain an annual FAI Club Licence to participate, meeting requirements covering areas such as financial administration, stadium facilities, legal compliance and youth development.
Most participating clubs are based in the Republic of Ireland. The division also has a distinctive cross-border dimension through Derry City, which is based in Northern Ireland but competes in the League of Ireland under arrangements recognised by the relevant football authorities.
Origins and development
The modern Premier Division was established in 1985 as part of the restructuring of the League of Ireland into a two-tier system. That reform created a more clearly defined elite division above the First Division, with promotion and relegation providing movement between the two levels. It belongs to a much longer tradition of organised league football in Ireland, but the 1985 reorganisation is the key landmark for the competition in its present form.
The division’s structure and identity have continued to develop within the wider League of Ireland. Although clubs, rules and commercial arrangements can change between seasons, its central purpose remains consistent: to crown the strongest league side in the country and provide the highest domestic standard for Irish clubs.
Competition format and progression
The Premier Division uses a balanced round-robin format. Ten clubs compete in a single table, with each team scheduled to face every other side four times: twice at home and twice away. This produces a 36-match programme for each club. There are no separate groups and no title playoffs; the champion is the team that finishes first after the final league fixture.
The standard scoring system awards three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat. If clubs finish level on points, overall goal difference is the first principal separator, followed by total goals scored and then head-to-head record. League matches do not use extra time: a fixture concludes after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, with the result recorded on that basis.
Promotion and relegation connect the Premier Division directly with the First Division. The team finishing tenth is relegated automatically. The side in ninth place enters a promotion/relegation playoff against a challenger from the First Division, making the lower end of the table competitive until the closing stages of the season.
European qualification and sporting stakes
Winning the Premier Division carries consequences beyond domestic silverware. The champions enter the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League, while leading finishing positions provide access to UEFA Conference League qualifying. European places can also be influenced by the outcome of the FAI Cup and by the applicable UEFA access arrangements for the relevant season, so the final allocation should be read alongside those regulations.
At the other end of the table, avoiding relegation is a season-defining objective. The automatic drop for the bottom club and the playoff threat facing ninth place create a separate contest beneath the title race, while the middle and upper positions can determine access to European competition.
Calendar and matchday character
The competition follows Ireland’s summer-football calendar, typically beginning in February and concluding between late October and November. This schedule differs from the conventional autumn-to-spring pattern used by many major European leagues. Fixtures are commonly played on Friday evenings, although the exact programme varies according to television, cup commitments, European matches and other scheduling requirements.
The season’s intensity usually increases during the autumn. By then, clubs are competing simultaneously for the title, European positions and survival, and every remaining point can affect the final table. With a compact 10-club field and four meetings between each pair of opponents, familiarity and consistency are central features of the Premier Division.
A distinctive national competition
The Premier Division combines a clear league hierarchy with the particular character of Irish football: a summer calendar, strong local rivalries, promotion and relegation with the First Division, and a route from domestic competition to UEFA tournaments. Since its 1985 formation, it has served as the country’s principal professional league and remains the definitive test of sustained performance in Irish club football.