2025-26 Irish Premiership Season: Fixtures, Derbies, and Key Matches Revealed
The upcoming 2025-26 Irish Premiership season will kick off with Linfield defending their title against Dungannon Swifts at Windsor Park. The opening weekend will also feature Bangor hosting Cliftonville and Larne facing Coleraine. Other matches include Crusaders against Carrick Rangers, Glenavon versus Ballymena United, and Portadown hosting Glentoran.
Following the opening fixtures, Linfield will travel to Ballymena United, Cliftonville will play Coleraine, and Larne will take on Crusaders. A set of six matches is scheduled for Tuesday, 19 August, with the first Belfast 'Big Two' encounter set for Saturday, 13 September at the Oval.
Ballymena United will face Coleraine in their first derby at Warden Street on 11 October, while Crusaders will host Cliftonville on the same day. Portadown will host Glenavon in the mid-Ulster derby on 4 October, and Larne will play Carrick Rangers in the east Antrim derby on 20 September.
The traditional Boxing Day matches will feature Linfield against Glentoran, Ballymena United versus Coleraine, Carrick hosting Larne, Cliftonville entertaining Crusaders, Portadown facing Glenavon, and Dungannon playing Bangor. The regular season will conclude on Friday, 20 March, with post-split fixtures scheduled for 28 March, 7 April, 11 April, 18 April, and 25 April.
All fixtures are subject to change, and the full list of preliminary fixtures can be viewed on the Northern Ireland Football League's website. Get ready for an exciting season of Irish Premiership football!