Premier Division today, Football on TV

Now, there are 7 Premier Division live televised matches and 3 TV channels will broadcast each and every one of them. The next match you will be able to enjoy is Dundalk - Galway and it will be played next 21 August 2026 at 20:45 televised by LOITV.

The Premier Division is the highest division in the league system of the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1985, on the occasion of the reorganization of the main soccer competitions in the country. Starting in 2003, it began to develop during the spring and summer months rather than during the winter.

Ireland's top 10 teams are part of the first category. Each club faces its rivals twice, once in their stadium and another playing as a visitor, until completing the 18 established days. In case there is equality of points between two competitors, the criteria to break the tie are the difference in goals and the number of goals scored. The one with the highest score is crowned champion and gets a place in the qualifying rounds for access to the Champions League. The second and third classified enter the qualifying phase for the Europa Conference League. The last two go down in division. The penultimate player has to defend his place in a playoff for permanence.

Since its inception, nine teams have known what it's like to be crowned Premier Division champions. Dundalk, Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers have done it more than five times. Between 2014 and 2019, the Lilywhites established a true dominance by conquering five of the six leagues played in that period of time.

The first edition of the competition was played in the 1985-86 season. It was attended by the four most important teams of the old League of Ireland (Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and Dundak) and another eight until reaching the figure of 12 participants. Shamrock Rovers were the first champions after scoring 33 points from 22 games. Galway United and Waterford United were the other two clubs to represent the Republic of Ireland in Europe the following year.

The 2020 Premier Division was disrupted for quite some time by COVID-19. The tournament kicked off on February 14, just a month before the outbreak of the pandemic in Europe. It was not until July 31 when it could be resumed. Shamrock Rovers was proclaimed the winner by signing 15 wins, three draws and 48 points at the end of 18 games. Bohemians, Dundalk and Sligo Rovers qualified for the qualifying rounds of the first Europa Conference League. Cork City dropped to finish last. Shelbourne fell in the playoff for maintaining the category and also fell to the second division.