The League of Ireland Premier Division is a Friday-night league: about two matches in three are played on a Friday. It’s also a low-to-middling scoring league with a draw rate that has climbed in recent seasons. The table below holds the league’s tips from an outside prediction provider, shown as published.
The figures come from 1,079 matches since the start of 2021, from public results files. They cover goals and results, not corners or cards.
Related Leagues
| European Leagues Compared | Super Lig | |
| Ekstraklasa | Serie A's Weak Home Edge and Falling Goals | Brasileirao |
Ie1
Drogheda Utd
St Patricks Dublin
–
–
Ie1
Bohemians FC
Derry City
–
–
Ie1
Dundalk FC
Galway United
–
–
Ie1
Shamrock Rovers
Shelbourne FC
–
–
Ie1
Sligo Rovers
Waterford United
–
–
Ie2
Finn Harps
Cobh Ramblers
–
–
Ie2
Treaty United
Cork City
–
–
Ie2
Kerry
UCD Dublin
–
–
Ie2
Wexford Youths
Athlone Town
–
–
Ie2
Longford Town
Bray Wanderers
–
–
IeC
Waterford United
Athlone Town
17/5
9/2
down
up
up
IeC
UCD Dublin
Derry City
16/5
1/2
up
up
down
IeC
Galway United
Bray Wanderers
17/5
5/1
down
up
up
IeC
College Corinthians
Drogheda Utd
15/2
1/10
up
up
down
IeC
Dundalk FC
Castlebar Celtic
10/1
12/1
down
up
up
IeC
Sligo Rovers
Kerry
17/5
9/2
down
up
up
IeC
St Patricks Dublin
Shamrock Rovers
11/5
8/5
no
no
no
IeC
Bohemians FC
Longford Town
13/2
10/1
down
up
up
IeW
Waterford W
Galway United W
–
–
IeW
Cork City W
DLR Waves W
–
–
IeW
Peamount United W
Shamrock Rovers W
–
–
IeW
Wexford Youths W
Treaty United W
–
–
IeW
Athlone Town WFC W
Sligo Rovers W
–
–
IeW
Bohemians WFC W
Shelbourne W
–
–
More Predictions
The league in numbers
| Measure | Ireland | Average of 18 European leagues |
|---|---|---|
| Goals a match | 2.52 | 2.69 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 47.2% | 50.7% |
| Both teams scored | 51.7% | 52.7% |
| Goalless draws | 7.9% | about 7% |
| Home win | 42.4% | 43.5% |
| Draw | 27.6% | 26.2% |
Matches averaged 2.52 goals, and over 2.5 landed in 47.2%. About one match in thirteen ended 0-0. It’s a league that sits a little under the European average on goals and a little over it on draws.
Friday-night football
In our data, 65.2% of the league’s matches were played on a Friday, 16.5% on a Monday and 9.7% on a Saturday. That’s an unusually concentrated schedule. It means a Friday list is the one place where a lot of Irish tips appear, and a weekend list has fewer than you’d find for the Scandinavian leagues.
Draws are rising
Draws ran 24.2%, 26.5%, 25.4%, 29.8%, 28.9% and 31.2% season by season, with the last figure still in progress. That’s about seven points higher than the first season. Over the same period, the home win rate stayed between 40% and 45%.
The goals average, meanwhile, ran 2.53, 2.49, 2.60, 2.28 and 2.43, then 2.79 so far in 2026 across 170 matches. Early-season samples are small, and 2.79 may not hold.
Home and away
Home teams won 42.4% of matches and away teams 29.9%. The home side scored 1.41 goals a match and the visitors 1.11. The away side was blanked in 31.8% of matches, and the home side in 24.4%.
Covers follow from the results. Home win or draw landed in 70.0% of matches, away win or draw in 57.5% and either team winning in 72.3%.
Both teams scoring
BTTS landed in 51.7% of matches. The home side scored in 75.6% of them (100% minus the 24.4% it was blanked) and the away side in 68.2%. Multiplying the two gives 51.6%, which is almost exactly the actual rate.
The weak point is the visitors: failing to score in nearly one match in three keeps BTTS from reaching the Scandinavian levels. A BTTS yes needs the away team to score, and it does so in about two matches out of three.
Scorelines
The most common scores were 1-1 (13.5%), 1-0 (11.0%), 2-1 (9.5%), 0-1 (8.8%) and 0-0 (7.9%). Two scores with no more than one goal on each side, 1-1 and 1-0, cover nearly a quarter of all matches. That’s a compact set of likely results, and under 2.5 landed in 52.8% of matches, a modest lean.
How reliable are favourites?
| Favourite’s chance at the price | Matches | Favourite won |
|---|---|---|
| Under 45% | 405 | 37.0% |
| 45% to 55% | 311 | 50.8% |
| 55% to 65% | 210 | 59.5% |
| 65% or more | 153 | 70.6% |
The prices were about right. At 65% or more, favourites won 70.6%, a few points below European favourites at the same price. A 45% to 55% favourite won just over half of its matches.
Corners and cards
Our Irish data has results and prices only, so we don’t have corner or card figures. If you bet on them, read the rules on our corner and card pages and check the referee. We’d rather leave a gap than make up numbers.
Five rules for Irish tips
- Check the day. Most matches are on Fridays, so team news from the week matters.
- Respect the draw. 27.6% overall and rising.
- Lean to the under. Over 2.5 starts at 47.2%, so a line set for a European average is a little high.
- Don’t trust the home side blindly. 42.4% home wins.
- Leave unmeasured lines alone. Corners and cards aren’t covered.
Common mistakes
The first is applying a goals line from Scandinavia to Ireland. Denmark scores about a third of a goal more and Norway more than half a goal more.
The second is assuming the draw is a rarity. It’s become more common.
The third is backing a favourite at a short price. At 65% or more, 29.4% of matches were not won.
Questions people ask
How many goals per match in the League of Ireland? 2.52 on average since 2021.
How often is a match drawn? 27.6% of the time.
Which day has the most matches? Friday, with 65.2%.
How often do both teams score? 51.7%.
Is the league high scoring? No, it’s a little below the European average.
Is the draw more common now than in 2021? In our data, yes. It was 24.2% in the first season and 31.2% in the one in progress.
Is Irish football low scoring? It sits a little under the European average at 2.52 goals a match.
Do home teams win a lot in Ireland? They won 42.4% of matches, a little below the European average of 43.5%.
Where are other leagues? See Sweden and the Europe page.
Tips are estimates, not promises. You must be 18 or over to bet, and a stake should be money you can do without.