OPEN COMPETITIONS LEAGUE STRUCTURE CONFIRMED (JAN 23RD)

Cricket Leinster can today confirm the composition of the Open Competitions league structures for the 2026 season.

As per the 2025 season, there are 22 Divisions in the OCC structure, with the Development league once again seeing 5 teams entered.

As announced in the early Autumn, the IBI Corporate Finance powered by DC Advisory Premier League will continue in it’s 12-team format, with the current back-to-back champions Pembroke aiming to contend for a three-peat.

PREMIER LEAGUE; Balbriggan, Clontarf, Civil Service, Cork County, Leinster, Malahide, Merrion, North County, Pembroke, Phoenix, Railway Union, Rush

IBI Corporate Finance powered by DC Advisory have also extended their sponsorship to cover the First Team League for 2026, with Knockharley the newcomers to the league, joined by The Hills who will be aiming to bounce straight back into the Premier League.

FIRST TEAM LEAGUE; Adamstown, Cork Harlequins, Knockharley, North Kildare, Terenure, The Hills

The leagues below the 2nd XI Premier League down to the Development League have been confirmed (as below).

There is a structural change to the bottom six leagues which is designed to reduce some of the travel burden for teams during the season.

This will be reviewed again at the end of the 2026 season.

This change sees Divisions 16 and 17 split into three strands, with 8 teams in each league competing as per a conventional league season.

At the end of 2026, the top team in each Division 16 strand will be promoted to Division 15, with three teams relegated from Division 15, which contains 9 teams to reduce excessive turnover.

The top two teams in each Division 17 strand will be promoted to their respective Division 16 strand, replacing the bottom two teams in each Division.