Irish Premiership Live Fixtures Confirmed: Title Race Heats Up
The Irish Premiership is getting a lengthy spell under the spotlight, with the BBC confirming the next 12 league fixtures to be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
It starts with a club on the rise.
Swifts set the tone at Stangmore
The cameras first roll into Stangmore Park on Saturday, 10 October, where high-flying Dungannon Swifts host Carrick Rangers in an early test of their credentials under the lights at 18:00 BST. For a side used to punching up, this is a chance to show they belong near the top of the table, not just visiting it.
From there, the schedule tightens and the stakes rise.
Champions, contenders and old grudges
Defending champions Larne step into focus on Friday, 16 October, when they welcome Coleraine at 19:45 BST. It’s a fixture that rarely drifts by quietly, and it offers an early measure of Larne’s hunger to go again.
Seven days later, on Friday, 23 October, Portadown host Linfield at 19:45 BST. Linfield, as ever, travel with expectation on their shoulders and a fanbase that demands they set the pace, not follow it.
Coleraine then take centre stage at the Showgrounds on Friday, 30 October, when they face Glentoran at 19:45 GMT. The Bannsiders’ home patch has seen its share of title-shaping nights; this has the feel of another.
Their road doesn’t get any easier. On Saturday, 7 November, Coleraine head to Windsor Park to face Linfield at 18:00 GMT, a clash that could echo deep into the winter if either side lands a statement win.
Belfast battles and a title undercurrent
November belongs to Belfast’s rivalry.
On Friday, 20 November, Cliftonville host Glentoran at 19:45 GMT in a fixture that rarely lacks edge, colour or noise. Just a week later, on Friday, 27 November, Glentoran are back under the cameras, this time at home to Larne at 19:45 GMT. Champions, challengers, and a fanbase that expects a response every time the lights go on.
By December, the schedule widens and the narrative stretches beyond the usual powerhouses.
New faces, old powerhouses
Newly promoted Limavady United get their turn in front of a national audience on Friday, 4 December, when they host early pacesetters Coleraine at 19:45 GMT. For Limavady, it’s more than a game; it’s a chance to show they can live with the division’s front-runners.
Bangor then welcome Linfield to Clandeboye Park on Friday, 11 December at 19:45 GMT. The setting is tight, the atmosphere can be intense, and Linfield know that any slip in these fixtures can cost them when the table settles.
A week later, on Saturday, 19 December, Windsor Park stages another heavyweight meeting as Linfield host Jim Magilton’s Cliftonville at 18:00 GMT. Magilton’s presence in the away dugout adds another layer to an already loaded fixture.
Windsor closes the year, Glens open the next
The final live stream of 2026 comes from Windsor Park on Tuesday, 29 December, where Linfield and Coleraine meet again at 19:45 GMT. By then, the table will have taken shape, and this could feel less like a mid-season fixture and more like a dress rehearsal for the run-in.
There’s barely time to breathe.
The first live Irish Premiership game of 2026 arrives just days later, on Saturday, 2 January, when Glentoran face Cliftonville at 18:00 GMT. A new year, familiar rivals, and a league that refuses to ease its pace.
Twelve games, spread across title favourites, hungry challengers and ambitious newcomers. If the football matches the schedule, the Irish Premiership is about to serve up a winter that could define the season.
