NIFL set for two-tier restructure for 2026-27
Bangor won promotion to the Irish Premiership by winning the Championship last season
- Published
The Northern Ireland Football League has announced a restructure for the 2026-27 season.
NIFL is the body that runs the Irish Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate Leagues - the top three divisions in Northern Ireland which each contain 12 teams.
However, a restructure will see an expanded 16-team Championship formed and bring an end to the Premier Intermediate League for the 2026-27 season.
Instead, a National Conference League will be formed for tiers three to five of the football pyramid in Northern Ireland.
The structure of the Irish Premiership will remain unchanged and NIFL says the goal is to have five divisions of 12 teams within "three to four years".
At the end of the 2025-26 season, there will be no relegation from the Championship and the top four teams from the Premier Intermediate League will be promoted to the second tier for the restructure.
The remaining teams will be part of the National Conference League.
NIFL says the move is an "evolution" and chief operating officer Steven Mills said it came as a result of both Irish FA and NIFL strategies.
"I believe they create a clear performance pathway for ambitious clubs, while also challenging existing clubs to further develop and progress," said Mills.
"A lot of work from key stakeholders has gone into this, and we thank them all for their input, most importantly our clubs.
"This also further highlights the urgent need for the NI Football Fund to come to fruition and for increased investment to continue growing the game, as our clubs continue to face the evolving challenges and needs of their communities."
In addition to the restructure, the NIFL board has a new Professional Game Ground Criteria, which is a five-year plan to raise standards across the Premiership and Championship.