The 2025–26 NIFL Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth season of the NIFL Championship (the second-tier of the Irish League - the national football league in Northern Ireland) since gaining senior status.
Teams The league consisted of twelve teams; nine teams remaining from the previous season, two teams promoted from the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, and one team relegated from the NIFL Premiership. With the league expanding to sixteen teams for the following season, no team will be relegated this season.
The promoted teams were the 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League champions Warrenpoint Town and 2024–25 NIFL Championship play-off winners Queen's University. They replaced the NIFL Championship play-off losers Ballyclare Comrades and bottom-placed team Newry City.
The relegated team was the 2024–25 NIFL Premiership bottom-placed team Loughgall. They replaced the 2024–25 NIFL Championship champions Bangor.
Stadia and locations ClubStadiumLocationCapacityAnnagh UnitedBMG ArenaPortadown1,250 (100 seated)ArdsClandeboye ParkBangor1,895 (500 seated)Armagh CityHolm ParkArmagh2,000 (500 seated)Ballinamallard UnitedFerney ParkBallinamallard2,000 (250 seated)DundelaWilgar ParkBelfast2,500Harland & Wolff WeldersBlanchflower StadiumBelfast3,000 (2,000 seated)InstituteRyan McBride Brandywell StadiumDerry3,700Limavady UnitedThe ShowgroundsLimavady524 (274 seated)LoughgallLakeview ParkLoughgall3,000NewingtonInver ParkLarne3,000Queen's UniversityUpper MaloneBelfast1,000 (330 seated)Warrenpoint TownMilltownWarrenpoint1,450
Regular season League 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 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.
Section A League table
Results
Section B League table
Results
References
External links