Charity Shield (Northern Ireland) 2025/26

The NIFL Charity Shield stands as the national super cup of Northern Irish football, organized by the Northern Ireland Football League. Founded in 1992, the competition serves as the curtain-raiser to the domestic season, typically held in July or August. It is a single-match contest between the previous season's NIFL Premiership champions and the Irish Cup winners. If the league champions also win the Irish Cup, the Irish Cup runner-up qualifies instead. In rare instances, such as 2014, the league runner-up has been used if the cup winner had European fixture conflicts. The match is decided by a penalty shoot-out if drawn after 90 minutes, with no extra time played.

The competition has suffered from irregularity, with hiatuses between 2000 and 2014, and between 2017 and 2022. The 2022 revival was driven by a new partnership with the charity White Ribbon NI. Linfield holds the record for most wins with four titles (1993 shared, 1994, 2000, 2017). Recent winners include Larne (2024, 2026), Dungannon Swifts (2025), Crusaders (2022, 2023), and Cliftonville (1998, 2014). Unlike the Irish Cup, which is a prestigious nationwide knockout tournament open to all affiliated senior clubs, the Charity Shield is a single-game super cup involving only the top two domestic trophy holders. It is distinct from the County Antrim Shield, a regional knockout competition for clubs in the North East. The Charity Shield is not considered an official competitive match for league records but is a recognized trophy. The current format involves the league champions hosting the cup winners.