The biggest fixture of the League of Ireland’s opening weekend was fixed for the Aviva Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with Bohemians continuing their recent tradition by hosting St Pat’s at the Lansdowne Road venue.

Having played Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva in 2025, it was this time the turn of Pat’s to face Bohs on the division’s opening weekend. Over 33,000 fans attended last season’s game, and while a lower crowd would be on site this time around, it was expected that around 20,000 supporters would show up.

The hosting of League of Ireland fixture at the Aviva Stadium has split opinion, with some feeling that it is simply a money making exercise from Bohemians.

St Pat’s fans were among those to criticise the Phibsborough outfit with a pointed banner ahead of kick-off.

8 February 2026; St Patrick’s Athletic supporters during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

In contrast, others feel that it is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the league ahead of the new season. While that may be the case, it seems that match organisers made a schoolboy error ahead of the game.

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Aviva Stadium Correct Bizarre Error Ahead Of League Of Ireland Clash

The Aviva Stadium is a top class venue, one that has no issue quickly shifting between fixtures in different sports in a short turnaround.

The ground was most recently used for a few Leinster rugby fixtures, meaning the pitch needed to be remarked ahead of this afternoon’s League of Ireland clash. While that is never a problem, it seems that a strange error was made this time around.

Ahead of kick-off, it was noticed that the penalty area marked on the pitch was the wrong size. As a result, the markings would have to be quickly removed and amended before the game started.

8 February 2026; Grounds staff remark the pitch before the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
8 February 2026; Grounds staff remark the pitch before the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

A strange one. Thankfully, the error was quickly amended and the game went ahead as planned.

Still, considering that this was viewed as a landmark occasion for the League of Ireland, it was a rather strange look.

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