The draw for Round 1 of the 2026 GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship will take place on Monday, May 4th and will be broadcast live as part of The View on GAA+, beginning at 1.00 pm.
Viewers can watch the draw live and free on the GAA+ YouTube channel, as well as across the GAA’s official social media platforms. (https://www.youtube.com/@gaaplusofficial1)
The draw will be conducted by Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns and Brian Carroll, Chairperson of the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC).
The Round 1 draw will feature the eight provincial finalists, who will be drawn against the eight highest‑ranked teams at the conclusion of the National Football League.
Exception: Kildare, as 2025 Tailteann Cup winners, will be included in the draw should they fail to reach the Leinster Provincial Final, in which case they will replace the lowest‑ranked League team.
Teams taking part in the draw will be confirmed following the weekend's results.
The draw will be an open draw, with a total of eight Round 1 ties. The provincial finalists will enjoy home advantage in their respective fixtures.
Match Dates
Munster and Connacht provincial finalists will play their Round 1 games on May 23–24.
Ulster and Leinster provincial finalists will play their Round 1 games on May 30–31.
GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship - Counties Participating
The following 16 Counties shall be eligible to participate in GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship (Sam Maguire Cup)
(a) The 8 Provincial Champions and Runners-Up
(b) The next 8 highest-ranked teams at the conclusion of the National League Tailteann Cup Winners, if not already qualified as one of the teams in (a) or (b) above, shall be eligible instead of the team in (b) with the lowest National League ranking at the conclusion of that year's National League.
Note
The ranking of teams in the National League referred to above shall be on the basis of the outcomes of the National League, including those of Promotion and Relegation, of the Competition Year. For the avoidance of doubt, a league final winner will be considered a higher seed than the team they defeated in the final.
All-Ireland Championship
Round 1 (Eight Games) - 23-24.05.2026 (Sat/Sun) & 30-31.05.2026 (Sat/Sun) *
The eight Provincial Champions and Runners-Up shall be drawn to play at Home against the eight teams in (b) above.
*The finalist from the Munster & Connacht Provincial Finals will play their Round 1 games on the 23-24.05.2026, and the finalist from Ulster & Leinster will play their Round 1 games on the 30-31.05.2026.
Round 2A (Four Games) - 13-14.06.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The eight winners in Round 1 shall be drawn to play against each other in Round 2a, with the first team drawn having Home Venue.
The draw will be subject to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final pairings.
Round 2B (Four Games) - 13-14.06.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The eight Losers in Round 1 shall be drawn to play against each other in Round 2, with the first team drawn having Home Venue.
The draw will be subject to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final pairings.
Round 3 (Four Games) - 20-21.06.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The four losing teams from Round 2a will be drawn to play the four winning teams from Round 2b, and a draw shall determine the Home Venue for each pairing.
The draw will be subject in the first instance to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final pairings and, where possible, repeat pairings from Round 1.
All-Ireland Quarter-Finals - 27-28.06.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The four winners of Round 2a shall be drawn to play against the four winners of Round 3, subject in the first instance to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final pairings and where possible repeat pairings from Rounds 1 and 2.
All-Ireland Semi-Finals - 11-12.07.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The four quarter-final winners shall play against each other in the Semi-Finals based on a draw, subject to the avoidance of repeat pairings from the championship, where possible.
All-Ireland Final - 26-07.2026 (Sun) (Replay 08.08.2026 (Sat))
The winners of the All-Ireland Semi-Finals shall meet in the All-Ireland Final.
Venues for the All-Ireland Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final shall be determined by the Central Competitions Control Committee.
