Now that everyone has had a chance to catch their breath after a chaotic opening weekend of the 2025 League of Ireland season which saw goals, a power outage and a record attendance. Let’s look to the proposed 3rd tier which is supposedly coming into play in 2026.
The new 3rd tier allows for jeopardy in the First Division. But not only that, it allows for more player progression and most importantly, more representation across the country.
Firstly, let’s take a look at some ideas for the Northern section.
North:
Donegal – Here we could see an existing club join the Senior ranks of domestic football or a newly formed club to represent Donegal. A potential rival for Finn Harps in Ballybofey. Letterkenny is the hub of Donegal with over 22,000 residents and where most of the county’s facilities and amenities are. Possible.
Dublin – With 20 new teams joining the League of Ireland, there will almost certainly be at least one club from the capital among the additions.
Kildare – Spoken about for a long time. Nearly 250,000 people in the county. Proximity to Dublin. Involved in the LOI Academy structure with Klub Kildare. Likely. Although, a tough one to locate where best to put a football club for accessibility for fans.
Mayo – Almost guaranteed with Mayo FC already in the League of Ireland underage structure. Immediate rivalries with Galway United and Sligo Rovers. Adding another club in Connacht is crucial for representation.
Meath – More than 220,000 in the county. Proximity to Dublin. An immediate rivalry between Kildare and Meath. A county with that many people needs representation.
South:
Carlow-Kilkenny – Combined population of more than 165,000. University facilities on the doorstep from the SETU. Already part of the underage LOI system as CK United.
Clare – Over 127,000 people in the county. Nearly 30,000 in Ennis. An international airport on the doorstep in Shannon. Great Junior clubs in the county. The FAI Junior Cup was won by Newmarket Celtic in 2022/23. Would make sense.
Cork – Plenty of big Junior clubs operating in Cork. With more 580,000 living in the county, a club joining the 3rd tier is a possibility. And seeing as Cork is one of the most productive counties for Senior internationals, this could have real benefits down the line.
Tipperary – A population of more than 165,000. Another tough one to pinpoint where exactly in the county to locate for accessibility for supporters. At a minimum, there should be one club for Tipperary people to get behind.
Waterford – One of Ireland’s top performing counties when it comes to the production of Senior Internationals. A strong Junior league. Villa FC won the FAI Junior Cup in 2021/22. Then there’s also the towns of Tramore and Dungarvan with 10,000+ populations. A second team to appear in the south east could happen.
Let’s see how many of these come to fruition when the clubs are revealed in what is an exciting time for the League of Ireland.
Aidan Corbett