The 2026–27 National Conference League Premier is the first season of the NCL Premier. It succeeded the NIFL Premier Intermediate League as the third tier of the Northern Ireland football league system and is operated by the National Amateur Football League.
Teams
The league consists of twelve teams; ten teams remaining from the last season of the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, two teams promoted from regional leagues. The competition consists of a full double round robin of 22 matches, followed by a split into halves and further double round robin of 10 matches.
Four teams were promoted into the NIFL Championship from the 2025–26 NIFL Premier Intermediate League, with the other 10 teams all going into the NCL Premier.
The promotion into the 2026–27 NCL Premier was done following applications. The two promoted teams were St James' Swifts F.C., the champions of the 2025–26 Ballymena & Provincial Football League Intermediate Division 1, and Rosario Youth Club F.C. who placed 5th in the Northern Amateur Football League Premier Division.
ClubStadiumLocationBallyclare ComradesDixon ParkBallyclareBallymacash RangersThe Bluebell StadiumLisburnBanbridge TownCrystal ParkBanbridgeCoagh UnitedHagan ParkCoaghDergviewDarragh ParkCastledergDollingstownPlanters ParkDollingstownKnockbredaBreda ParkBelfastLisburn DistilleryNew Grosvenor StadiumLisburnOxford SunnysideKnockramer ParkLurganPortstewartMullaghacallPortstewartRosario Y.C.Ulidia Playing FieldsBelfastSt James' SwiftsDonegal Celtic ParkBelfast
Matches 1–22 For matches 1–22, each team plays every other team twice (home and away).
League table
Results
Matches 23–32 For the final ten 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 twice (home and away).
The winners of Section A are the champions, and they get promoted to the 2026–27 NIFL Championship, while the runners-up go into a two-legged play-off against the second-bottom team in the Championship for another place in the Championship. The bottom club in Section B gets relegated into the NCL League One that is set to be created in 2027.
References
External links National Conference League. The official website of the Northern Amateur Football League. Northern Ireland Conference League.