Irish football entered 2026 with stronger numbers across the board, and the latest figures point to a game building real momentum at club and international level, according to data reviewed by WinsportsOnline.
Attendances across competitions featuring League of Ireland clubs reached 1,127,155 in 2025, up 11.7% from 2024.
The SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division accounted for 683,208 of that total, while average top-flight attendance rose to 3,775.
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The biggest single crowd of the year came on opening weekend, when 33,208 watched Bohemians take on Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva Stadium, a clear sign that domestic football in Ireland is drawing wider attention than before.
The domestic game also produced a set of standout individual numbers that helped define the 2025 campaign.
Waterford’s Padraig Amond finished as the Men’s Premier Division top scorer with 14 goals, while St Patrick’s Athletic’s Mason Melia followed with 13. Derry City’s Michael Duffy combined end product and creativity better than anyone else in the division, ending the year with 12 goals and a league-high 11 assists.
Those returns gave the league several clear headline performers and added another layer to the growing interest around the Irish game heading into the 2026 season.
The rise has not been limited to the club game. I
reland Women secured promotion to League A in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League after a year in which Carla Ward’s side played 11 matches, scored 18 goals and won seven times.
Their four home fixtures drew a combined attendance of 37,491, showing that support for the national side is also moving upward. That matters in the wider Irish football picture because it points to growth that is spreading across different competitions, audiences and teams rather than depending on one isolated success.
There have been promising markers on the men’s side too as 2026 gets underway.
Ahead of the March meeting with North Macedonia, the Republic of Ireland were unbeaten in their previous six home internationals in all competitions, recording four wins and two draws.
Troy Parrott had also moved to 11 international goals, with six of those coming across his last three appearances.
With league attendances rising, domestic attacking output staying high and both national teams posting encouraging numbers, Irish football has opened 2026 with a stronger statistical base than it had a year earlier.
