Cliftonville Ladies will be aiming to win the Irish FA Women’s Challenge Cup for the third year in a row in 2026.
Entries for this year’s competition are now open and the Reds will arguably be the team to beat once again.
Cliftonville eased past Linfield Women in the 2025 decider back in the autumn.
Goals from Caitlin McGuinness and player of the match Fi Morgan were enough for the Reds to secure the trophy.
The previous year Caitlin McGuinness scored a treble as the ‘Invincibles’, who won the 2024 Women’s Premiership with a 100 per cent record, defeated Lisburn Rangers Ladies by five goals to nil in the cup final.
Entries for the 2026 Irish FA Women’s Challenge Cup are now officially open on the MyComet system, with a closing date of Monday 31 March. The entry fee is £20 and clubs are being encouraged to secure their place as soon as possible.
If required, the competition will get under way on Friday 1 May with a preliminary round, followed by round one on Friday 12 June. Seeded teams will join the action in the second round on Friday 17 July, with the quarter-finals set for Friday 21 August.
Friday 11 September is the date pencilled in for the semi-finals before the competition reaches its showpiece finale at the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park in October (date to be confirmed).
First contested in 2005, the Women's Irish Cup is Northern Ireland's premier competition for women's football teams.
Glentoran Women (previously Glentoran Belfast United) are the most successful side in the competition, having won it 11 times, with Linfield Women (previously Linfield Ladies) and Cliftonville Ladies the next most successful with three wins apiece.
Image: Cliftonville Ladies celebrate their Irish FA Women’s Challenge Cup success in 2025.
