Ireland is a big country in terms of football. The Irish people have been passionate about the sport despite not producing the world’s best players and not having popular leagues such Premier League, La Liga, and others
The fact that Ireland has been passionate about football in these past years shows how much work their soccer federation has pushed into the system.
Well, their federation should not only be thanked as the soccer clubs in the country are the ones making the hard work of the soccer federation count.
Moreover, you might be wondering which soccer clubs are in Ireland that are making the game beautiful over there. However, I will be walking you through the top 10 Best football clubs in Ireland.
So, I would not want to waste your time, hence let’s quickly proceed to today’s guide;
Top 10 Best Football Clubs In Ireland
1. Shamrock Rovers (Hoops, Rovers)
Shamrock Rovers is nicknamed Hoops and Rovers is arguably the most popular and best football club in Ireland.
They are the most successful club in Ireland and the current holder of the Irish league.
The club was founded in 1899, 124 years ago and since then, they have been the driving force of the Irish league to the top. Shamrock has won 20 league titles and also 25 FAI Cup titles which is a massive record.
The club has a home known as Tallaght Stadium which has an 8,000 capacity and a cabinet that has major titles such as the LFA President Cup, League of Ireland Shield, and others.
In the Ireland national team, Shamrock has 64 players which makes the club the one with the most supply of players to the national team.
Moreover, they have been relegated before and won the second-division title, which was in 2006. Their rival is Bohemians FC.
2. Dundalk (The Lilywhites, The Railwaymen)
Dundalk is nicknamed The Lilywhites and The Railwaymen is the second-best football club in Ireland.
They are one of the most successful clubs in Ireland and the highest-ranked Irish team in Europe based on the UEFA Club coefficient.
The club was founded in 1903, 119 years ago and since then, they have been one of the most consistent clubs in the country. Fourteen league titles and twelve FAI Cups are some of the major titles they have won since they came into existence.
Dundalk has a stadium known as Oriel Park with 4,500 capacity but only 3,100 has been considered touchable.
In Ireland, their trophy cabinet has a lot of major trophies, and this makes them the second most decorated club behind Shamrock Rovers.
3. Shelbourne F.C. (The Reds, The Real Reds, Shels, and The Auld Reds)
Shelbourne F.C. is one of the best clubs in Ireland with not just one or two nicknames. The club goes with nicknames The Reds, The Auld Reds, The Real Reds, and Shels. Moreover, Shels is their most known name.
The club was founded in 1895 and has a home known as Tolka Park which has 4,400 capacity. Arguably, Shelbourne is among the clubs in Ireland with a big history.
Lately, the club has been facing ups and downs as it is currently a mid-table team in the Premier Division after finishing fourth last season.
In their rich history, they have pulled the Premier Division 13 times and second division titles twice, in 2019 and 2021.
The Irish club is also regarded as the first Ireland club that reached the third round of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. In the club’s cabinet, there are 29 titles which makes them the third most successful club in the country.
Their rivals are Bohemians, Shamrock, and St Patrick’s Athletic.
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4. Bohemian (The Gypsies, Dublin’s Originals, The Bohs)
Reading this article you must have read “Bohemian” at least twice, well let’s discuss them now.
Bohemian is the 4th best soccer club in Ireland. The club is nicknamed The Gypsies, Dublin’s Original, and The Bohs.
Bohemian has been one of the oldest clubs in Ireland, dating back to when it was founded in 1890, 132 years ago. The club has a stadium called “Dalymount Park” with a capacity of 4,227.
The only reason why Bohemian has not been declared the best soccer club in Ireland is the fact that they did not start as a professional club.
Well, despite starting as an amateur club, they have won the Ireland League 11 times, and the last came in 2009. The discontinued President Cup? They have won that 13 times.
In the European stage, Bohemians are unknown. They have not played in the UEFA Europa League before, not to talk of the UEFA Champions League competition.
5. St Patrick’s Athletic (The Athletic, Red Army, Pat’s, Supersaints, Saints, St Pat’s)
St Patrick’s Athletic ground is known as Richmond Park with a 5,346 capacity (2,800 seated) and since 1929 the club has been in existence.
The history of The Saints might not quite be that wowing but they have been one of the most ambitious clubs in the Ireland League with 8 Ireland League titles, 4 FAI Cups, and 4 League Cups.
The last won the Ireland league in 2013 and won the first one in 1951 which was their first attempt, and that was impressive. In their cabinet, they have 18 titles, and they last won one last in 2021, The FAI Cup.
In 60 matches across all European competitions, St Pat has only won 13 times. Also, they have quite a few more nicknames than some other clubs in the league.
6. Derry City (The Candy Stripes and Red & White Army)
Founded in 1928, Derry City is seated as the 6th best soccer club in Ireland with Brandywell stadium which has 7,700 capacity.
For now, Derry City is the only club outside Ireland to play in the league. The club is in Northern Ireland.
They are the only Ireland club that has won the treble, and they did it in 1988/1989. They also hold the record for the most League Cup titles.
They started their journey in the Northern Ireland first division but were called into the League of Ireland in 1971 due to security reasons, social troubles, and political unrest.
7. Waterford (The Blues and The Big Team)
Nicknamed The Blues or The Big Team, Waterford has a stadium capacity of 5,154 (3,035 seated) and is named Waterford Regional Sports Centre.
The club was founded in 1930, 93 years ago. The club saw itself dominate the League of Ireland in the 1960s and early 1970s and won all six titles.
In total, they have filled their cabinet with 15 titles and won their last major title in 2017 (second division)
8. Cork City (City and Rebel Army)
Cork City was founded in 1984, and that should be 40 years plus since its creation.
They have a stadium regarded as Turners Cross with a capacity of 7,485. Arguably, Cork City is one of the youngest clubs to play in the League of Ireland if not the youngest. They have won a total of nine trophies despite being new to the system.
9. Sligo Rovers (Rovers and The Bit O’Red)
Sligo Rovers was founded in 1928 and has got the hearts of the fans since its creation. Its ground is known as The Showgrounds with over 5,000 capacity. They have won 3 League of Ireland titles and 5 FAI Cups.
They have never won or scored in a UEFA Champions League qualification game and only have seven wins in 32 European competition matches, and that is not quite impressive.
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10 Drogheda (The Drogs and Claret & Blue Army)
Placed in number 10th best soccer club in Ireland is Drogheda which was created in 1919, 104 years ago. Drogheda is nicknamed The Drogs and has Weavers Park which has a stadium capacity of 3,500.
Unfortunately, they have only won the League of Ireland once as Drogheda United. In their cabinet, they have 5-second division 5, 1 FAI Cup, and 2 League of Ireland Cups.