The Football Association of Ireland has revealed that 15 clubs have been admitted to the new FAI National League, with the prospect of that number growing ahead of an extended deadline in January.
Bonagee United (Donegal), CK United (Carlow/Kilkenny), Cockhill Celtic (Donegal), Home Farm (Dublin), Killarney Celtic (Kerry), Letterkenny Rovers (Donegal), Lucan United (Dublin), Mayo Football Club (Mayo), Mervue United (Galway), Newbridge Town (Kildare), Salthill Devon (Galway), St. Francis (Dublin), TU Dublin (Dublin), UCC Soccer (Cork), and Villa FC (Waterford) will contest the inaugural National League when the competition gets under way next autumn.
An initial 67 clubs or entities from around the country expressed an initial interest in joining the new league, which has the goal of creating a direct pathway between the grassroots game and the League of Ireland.
The league will commence with a truncated introductory season and from the 2027 season, a clear pathway for promotion to the League of Ireland will be established.
The winners of the North and South divisions will compete in a play-off final to be crowned FAI National League champions.
If the champions have been approved for a First Division licence, they will play against the team that finishes bottom of the First Division in a promotion-relegation play-off for a place in the second tier.
Clubs considering joining the league have been afforded an extension period until Saturday, 31 January 2026 to to register their interest.
FAI head of competitions Fran Gavin said: “We’re delighted to be able to announce the clubs who will be the founding members of the new FAI National League, and we congratulate them on coming through a rigorous selection process.
“The clubs have put in a lot of hard work and we’re really excited to get started in autumn 2026 with a shortened, truncated season before the full launch in February 2027.
“As part of the process, we have reopened a short window for final expressions of interest for the remaining places.
“Our priority from day one was not just to hit a number, but to ensure that every club involved was ready to be part of this league.
“We recognised that a number of clubs were not able to meet the original deadlines, so that is why the portal has reopened to encourage any final applications.
“Our priority is to have a strong, competitive league, and while we are happy to start with our founding member clubs to ensure the right quality, if there are clubs who now feel that they meet the criteria, we would like to hear from them.”