All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Men's Gaelic football inter-county competition}} | {{short description|Men's Gaelic football inter-county competition}} | ||
{{About|Gaelic football (male)|Gaelic football (women)|All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship}} | {{About|Gaelic football (male)|Gaelic football (women)|All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship}} | ||
{{Use | {{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2022}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}} | ||
{{Infobox GAA tournament | {{Infobox GAA tournament | ||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
| code = Gaelic football | | code = Gaelic football | ||
| founded = {{start date and age|1887}} | | founded = {{start date and age|1887}} | ||
| region = {{Flagu|Ireland}} ( | | region = {{Flagu|Ireland}} (32 Teams)<br /> | ||
{{Flagu|England}} (1 team)<br />{{Flagu|United States}} (1 team) | |||
| trophy = [[Sam Maguire Cup]] | | trophy = [[Sam Maguire Cup]] | ||
| teams = | | teams = 34 | ||
| title holders =[[File:Colours of | | title holders =[[File:Colours of Kerry GAA.svg|20px|border]] [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] | ||
| currentordinal = | | currentordinal = 39 | ||
| most titles = [[File:Colours of Kerry GAA.svg|20px|border]] [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] | | most titles = [[File:Colours of Kerry GAA.svg|20px|border]] [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] | ||
| mostordinal = | | mostordinal = 39 | ||
| sponsors = [[SuperValu (Ireland)|Supervalu]]<br />[[Allied Irish Bank]]<br />[[Allianz]] | | sponsors = [[SuperValu (Ireland)|Supervalu]]<br />[[Allied Irish Bank]]<br />[[Allianz]] | ||
| tv = [[RTÉ]], [[BBC Northern Ireland]], [[Premier Sports]], [[TG4]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.donegaldaily.com/2012/11/04/from-sam-maguire-to-dr-maguire-st-eunans-and-naomh-conaill-do-battle-in-county-final/|title=From Sam Maguire to Dr Maguire – St Eunan's and Naomh Conaill do battle in County Final|work=Donegal Daily|date=4 November 2012|access-date=4 November 2012|quote=A huge crowd is expected at MacCumhaill Park at a time when Gaelic games in the county have never had a higher profile. Nothing beats being there, as the GAA slogan goes, but for the neutrals who can't be in Ballybofey, the game is live on TG4 from throw-in at 4pm.}}</ref> | | tv = [[RTÉ]], [[BBC Northern Ireland]], [[Premier Sports]], [[TG4]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.donegaldaily.com/2012/11/04/from-sam-maguire-to-dr-maguire-st-eunans-and-naomh-conaill-do-battle-in-county-final/|title=From Sam Maguire to Dr Maguire – St Eunan's and Naomh Conaill do battle in County Final|work=Donegal Daily|date=4 November 2012|access-date=4 November 2012|quote=A huge crowd is expected at MacCumhaill Park at a time when Gaelic games in the county have never had a higher profile. Nothing beats being there, as the GAA slogan goes, but for the neutrals who can't be in Ballybofey, the game is live on TG4 from throw-in at 4pm.}}</ref> | ||
| website = {{ | | website = {{URL|https://www.gaa.ie/football/gaa-football-all-ireland-senior-championship/|gaa.ie/gaa-football-championship}} | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''All-Ireland Senior Football Championship''' (SFC) ({{langx|ga|Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann}}) is the premier [[inter-county]] competition in [[Gaelic football]]. [[County (Gaelic games)|County teams]] compete against each other and the winner is declared [[All-Ireland]] Champions. | The '''All-Ireland Senior Football Championship''' (SFC) ({{langx|ga|Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann}}) is the premier [[inter-county]] competition in [[Gaelic football]]. [[County (Gaelic games)|County teams]] compete against each other and the winner is declared [[All-Ireland]] Champions. | ||
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Organised by the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] (GAA), the championship has been contested every year except one since [[1887 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1887]]. | Organised by the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] (GAA), the championship has been contested every year except one since [[1887 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1887]]. | ||
The final is played by the 35th Sunday of the year at [[Croke Park]] in Dublin, with the winning team receiving the [[Sam Maguire Cup]]. For the majority of its existence, the All-Ireland Championship has been played on a [[Single-elimination tournament|straight knockout]] basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the championship. In more recent years, the qualification procedures for the championship have changed several times. Currently, qualification is limited to teams competing in 6 feeder competitions; the finalists of the 4 [[Province (Gaelic games)|provincial championships]]: [[Connacht Senior Football Championship|Connacht]], [[Leinster Senior Football Championship|Leinster]], [[Munster Senior Football Championship|Munster]] and [[Ulster Senior Football Championship|Ulster]], the [[Tailteann Cup]] holders and the best non-qualified [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] teams to make the 16 team group stage. | The final is played by the 35th Sunday of the year at [[Croke Park]] in Dublin, with the winning team receiving the [[Sam Maguire Cup]]. For the majority of its existence, the All-Ireland Championship has been played on a [[Single-elimination tournament|straight knockout]] basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the championship. In more recent years, the qualification procedures for the championship have changed several times. Currently, qualification is limited to teams competing in 6 feeder competitions; the finalists of the 4 [[Province (Gaelic games)|provincial championships]]: [[Connacht Senior Football Championship|Connacht]], [[Leinster Senior Football Championship|Leinster]], [[Munster Senior Football Championship|Munster]] and [[Ulster Senior Football Championship|Ulster]], the [[Tailteann Cup]] holders and the best non-qualified [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] teams to make the 16-team group stage. | ||
Thirty three teams currently participate in the All-Ireland Championship, with [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]], [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]], [[Galway GAA|Galway]] and [[Cavan GAA|Cavan]] being the most successful teams in their respective provinces. | Thirty three teams currently participate in the All-Ireland Championship, with [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]], [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]], [[Galway GAA|Galway]] and [[Cavan GAA|Cavan]] being the most successful teams in their respective provinces. | ||
The title has been won by 19 | The title has been won by 19 counties, 18 of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are [[Kerry county football team|Kerry]], who have won the championship on 39 occasions. They are the current title holders, defeating [[Donegal county football team|Donegal]] by 1–26 to 0–19 in the [[2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final|2025 final]]. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
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Unlike in other European countries, such as neighbouring England, where annual sports events were cancelled during the twentieth century due to the [[World War I|First]] and [[Second World War]]s, the All-Ireland Championship has been running continuously since 1887, with the final running since 1889 (the 1888 competition was played but no final was held due to the Invasion mentioned above). The competition continued even in spite of the effects on the country of the [[Irish Civil War|Civil War]] and the Second World War (the [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] was not held during the latter). In [[1941 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1941]], the All-Ireland Championship was disrupted by an outbreak of [[foot-and-mouth disease]] but the postponed Leinster final were later rescheduled.<ref>{{cite news|first=Seán|last=Moran|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/remembering-when-kerry-kicked-ahead-of-dublin-78-years-ago-1.4014161|title=Remembering when Kerry kicked ahead of Dublin 78 years ago: This year will be only the third replay between the counties, and the first in Croke Park|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=11 September 2019|access-date=11 September 2019|quote=Dublin... hadn't won Leinster for seven years and didn't go into the All-Ireland semi-final as provincial champions – they were nominated by the province because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak that year, which caused the Leinster final against Carlow to be postponed until November. Postscript: Dublin won by 4–6 to 1–4... By this stage [the 1930s] the tendency to spread the [All-Ireland] semi-finals around the country was dying, and the 1941 replay in Tralee would be the last played outside Croke Park until 1983, when Dublin memorably went to Páirc Uí Chaoimh to take on Cork in an All-Ireland semi-final replay.}}</ref> | Unlike in other European countries, such as neighbouring England, where annual sports events were cancelled during the twentieth century due to the [[World War I|First]] and [[Second World War]]s, the All-Ireland Championship has been running continuously since 1887, with the final running since 1889 (the 1888 competition was played but no final was held due to the Invasion mentioned above). The competition continued even in spite of the effects on the country of the [[Irish Civil War|Civil War]] and the Second World War (the [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] was not held during the latter). In [[1941 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1941]], the All-Ireland Championship was disrupted by an outbreak of [[foot-and-mouth disease]] but the postponed Leinster final were later rescheduled.<ref>{{cite news|first=Seán|last=Moran|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/remembering-when-kerry-kicked-ahead-of-dublin-78-years-ago-1.4014161|title=Remembering when Kerry kicked ahead of Dublin 78 years ago: This year will be only the third replay between the counties, and the first in Croke Park|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=11 September 2019|access-date=11 September 2019|quote=Dublin... hadn't won Leinster for seven years and didn't go into the All-Ireland semi-final as provincial champions – they were nominated by the province because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak that year, which caused the Leinster final against Carlow to be postponed until November. Postscript: Dublin won by 4–6 to 1–4... By this stage [the 1930s] the tendency to spread the [All-Ireland] semi-finals around the country was dying, and the 1941 replay in Tralee would be the last played outside Croke Park until 1983, when Dublin memorably went to Páirc Uí Chaoimh to take on Cork in an All-Ireland semi-final replay.}}</ref> | ||
The duration of certain championship matches increased from 60 to 80 minutes during the 1970s. They were settled at 70 minutes after five seasons of this in 1975.<ref>[[Martin Breheny|Breheny, Martin]]. "The Final Verdict: The Greatest of my Lifetime" in ''Martin Breheny's Greatest All-Ireland Finals''. ''[[Irish Independent]]''. 1 September 2018, p. 2.</ref> This applied only to the provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.<ref>{{cite news|first=Seán|last=Moran|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/se%C3%A1n-moran-will-time-be-on-dublin-s-side-once-more-1.4014138|title=Will time be on Dublin's side once more?|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=11 September 2019|access-date=11 September 2019|quote=Another issue touched on by John O'Keeffe in his interview was the strange decision to extend senior championship provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals to 80 minutes – which was an extra third on the previous duration of an hour. | The duration of certain championship matches increased from 60 to 80 minutes during the 1970s. They were settled at 70 minutes after five seasons of this in 1975.<ref>[[Martin Breheny|Breheny, Martin]]. "The Final Verdict: The Greatest of my Lifetime" in ''Martin Breheny's Greatest All-Ireland Finals''. ''[[Irish Independent]]''. 1 September 2018, p. 2.</ref> This applied only to the provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.<ref>{{cite news|first=Seán|last=Moran|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/se%C3%A1n-moran-will-time-be-on-dublin-s-side-once-more-1.4014138|title=Will time be on Dublin's side once more?|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=11 September 2019|access-date=11 September 2019|quote=Another issue touched on by John O'Keeffe in his interview was the strange decision to extend senior championship provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals to 80 minutes – which was an extra third on the previous duration of an hour. It made little difference to the outcome of matches. Of the five finals plus 1972 replay played over 80 minutes – the length of a match was settled at 70 minutes from 1975 onwards – only the 1971 Offaly-Galway result would have been affected. Had it been played over an hour, it would have ended in a draw instead of Offaly's first All-Ireland triumph.}}</ref> | ||
The first half of the twentieth century brought the rise of several teams who won two or more All-Ireland titles in that period, such as Kildare, Mayo, Cavan, Wexford and Roscommon. In the 1990s, a significant sea change took place, as the All-Ireland was claimed by an [[Ulster]] team in four consecutive years (1991–1994). Since then Ulster has produced more All-Ireland winning teams than any other province.<ref>{{cite news|first=Seán|last=Moran|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/donegal-hoping-to-avoid-being-fifth-all-ireland-champions-in-20-years-to-fall-at-first-hurdle-in-ulster-1.1406722?page=1|title=Donegal hoping to avoid being fifth All-Ireland champions in 20 years to fall at first hurdle in Ulster: Uneasy lies the head that wears the northern crown|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=26 May 2013|access-date=26 May 2013}}</ref> | The first half of the twentieth century brought the rise of several teams who won two or more All-Ireland titles in that period, such as Kildare, Mayo, Cavan, Wexford and Roscommon. In the 1990s, a significant sea change took place, as the All-Ireland was claimed by an [[Ulster]] team in four consecutive years (1991–1994). Since then Ulster has produced more All-Ireland winning teams than any other province.<ref>{{cite news|first=Seán|last=Moran|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/donegal-hoping-to-avoid-being-fifth-all-ireland-champions-in-20-years-to-fall-at-first-hurdle-in-ulster-1.1406722?page=1|title=Donegal hoping to avoid being fifth All-Ireland champions in 20 years to fall at first hurdle in Ulster: Uneasy lies the head that wears the northern crown|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=26 May 2013|access-date=26 May 2013}}</ref> | ||
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The All-Ireland Qualifiers were introduced in 2001. Later that year, [[2001 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|the 2001 final]] brought victory for Galway who became the first football team to win an All-Ireland by springing through "the back door." In 2013, [[Hawk-Eye]] was introduced for Championship matches at Croke Park.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2013/0515/392343-gaa-hope-hawkeye-will-stop-contentious-points/|title=GAA hopes Hawk-Eye will eliminate contentious points|work=RTÉ Sport|date=15 May 2013|access-date=15 May 2013}}</ref> It was first used to confirm that [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]] substitute [[Peter Cunningham (Gaelic footballer)|Peter Cunningham]]'s attempted point had gone wide 10 minutes into the second half of a game against [[Kildare GAA|Kildare]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=193535|title=Hawkeye makes successful debut|work=Hogan Stand|date=2 June 2013|access-date=2 June 2013}}</ref> 2013 also brought the first Friday night game in the history of the Championship – a first round qualifier between [[Carlow GAA|Carlow]] and [[Laois GAA|Laois]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2013/0617/457027-derry-and-sligo-to-clash-in-football-qualifiers/|title=Qualifiers include first ever Friday night game|work=RTÉ Sport|date=17 June 2013|access-date=17 June 2013|quote=Carlow will play Laois on 28 June in Dr Cullen Park, the first time a Championship game will take place on a Friday night.}}</ref> | The All-Ireland Qualifiers were introduced in 2001. Later that year, [[2001 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|the 2001 final]] brought victory for Galway who became the first football team to win an All-Ireland by springing through "the back door." In 2013, [[Hawk-Eye]] was introduced for Championship matches at Croke Park.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2013/0515/392343-gaa-hope-hawkeye-will-stop-contentious-points/|title=GAA hopes Hawk-Eye will eliminate contentious points|work=RTÉ Sport|date=15 May 2013|access-date=15 May 2013}}</ref> It was first used to confirm that [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]] substitute [[Peter Cunningham (Gaelic footballer)|Peter Cunningham]]'s attempted point had gone wide 10 minutes into the second half of a game against [[Kildare GAA|Kildare]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=193535|title=Hawkeye makes successful debut|work=Hogan Stand|date=2 June 2013|access-date=2 June 2013}}</ref> 2013 also brought the first Friday night game in the history of the Championship – a first round qualifier between [[Carlow GAA|Carlow]] and [[Laois GAA|Laois]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2013/0617/457027-derry-and-sligo-to-clash-in-football-qualifiers/|title=Qualifiers include first ever Friday night game|work=RTÉ Sport|date=17 June 2013|access-date=17 June 2013|quote=Carlow will play Laois on 28 June in Dr Cullen Park, the first time a Championship game will take place on a Friday night.}}</ref> | ||
In recent years further changes have been made to the structure of the championship. In 2018 the Super 8s were introduced, where the four provincial champions and the four-round 4 qualifier winners would be split into two groups of four teams. Each team plays their group rivals once, with the top two teams progressing to the All-Ireland Semi-Finals. In 2022 a two-tier format | In recent years further changes have been made to the structure of the championship. In 2018 the Super 8s were introduced, where the four provincial champions and the four-round 4 qualifier winners would be split into two groups of four teams. Each team plays their group rivals once, with the top two teams progressing to the All-Ireland Semi-Finals. In 2022 a two-tier format was adopted for the championship. Division 3 and 4 teams from the [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] that fail to reach a provincial final will not proceed to the All-Ireland qualifiers and will instead play in the [[Tailteann Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gaa.ie/news/two-tier-football-championship-format-to-be-introduced/|title=Two tier Football Championship format to be introduced|work=GAA.ie|date=19 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gaa.ie/football/news/gaa-special-congress-2019-the-motions-explained/|title=GAA Special Congress 2019: The motions explained|work=GAA.ie|date=19 October 2019}}</ref> | ||
=== Format history === | === Format history === | ||
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===== Revamp again for 2026 ===== | ===== Revamp again for 2026 ===== | ||
A potential new format for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) is under consideration | A potential new format for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) is under consideration, with a single alternative structure gaining significant support. The proposal was discussed at a GAA Central Council meeting took place in [[County Donegal|Donegal]] on February 22, 2025. The format, inspired by systems previously used in 16-team county championships, emerged as the most favoured option during a recent consultation process involving GAA counties. | ||
Key Features of the Proposed Format | Key Features of the Proposed Format | ||
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Counties would be assured at least three championship games, down from the four currently guaranteed. This will occur in the 2026 season. | Counties would be assured at least three championship games, down from the four currently guaranteed. This will occur in the 2026 season. | ||
Preliminary round, Quarter-finals and Semi-finals of the Provincial championships will be played in separate weekends in 2026 not like previous 3 years. In 2026 Connacht championship at the Quarter-final stage [[Mayo GAA|Mayo]] will host [[London]] and [[Roscommon]] will host [[New York GAA|New York]] in separate weekends the Quarter-final between 2 teams of [[Galway]], [[Sligo]] and [[Leitrim GAA|Leitrim]] will be after overseas trips are over in the last of them. | |||
== Format == | == Format == | ||
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==== Connacht Championship (Seven teams) ==== | ==== Connacht Championship (Seven teams) ==== | ||
Quarter-finals (3 matches): These are three matches between the first six teams drawn – the other team receive a bye. Three teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals. London and New York City games go into rotation of every 5th year. | Quarter-finals (3 matches): These are three matches between the first six teams drawn – the other team receive a bye. Three teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals. London and New York City games go into rotation of every 5th year. | ||
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the three quarter-finals join the other team to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final and qualify for the All-Ireland group stage. | Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the three quarter-finals join the other team to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final and qualify for the All-Ireland group stage. | ||
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==== Semi-finals (Four teams remaining) ==== | ==== Semi-finals (Four teams remaining) ==== | ||
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the quarter-finals make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who met in the provincial finals are kept apart in | Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the quarter-finals make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who met in the provincial finals are kept apart in the semi-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final. | ||
==== Final ==== | ==== Final ==== | ||
Final (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game. | Final (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game. The winning team are declared All-Ireland champions. | ||
=== Inter county championship pyramid === | === Inter county championship pyramid === | ||
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|86 | |86 | ||
|[[2025 Munster Senior Football Championship|2025]] | |[[2025 Munster Senior Football Championship|2025]] | ||
| | |39 | ||
|[[ | |[[2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2025]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:left" |[[File:Colours_of_Kildare.svg|border|20x20px]] [[Kildare county football team|Kildare]] | | style="text-align:left" |[[File:Colours_of_Kildare.svg|border|20x20px]] [[Kildare county football team|Kildare]] | ||
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{{Location map~ |Ireland |lat=52.066389|long=-9.508056|label=[[Fitzgerald Stadium]]|position=right}} | {{Location map~ |Ireland |lat=52.066389|long=-9.508056|label=[[Fitzgerald Stadium]]|position=right}} | ||
{{Location map~ |Ireland |lat=53.85|long=-9.35 |label=[[MacHale Park]]|position=left}} | {{Location map~ |Ireland |lat=53.85|long=-9.35 |label=[[MacHale Park]]|position=left}} | ||
{{Location map~ |Ireland |lat=54.185556|long=-7.232778|label={{ | {{Location map~ |Ireland |lat=54.185556|long=-7.232778|label={{nowrap|[[St Tiernach's Park]]}}|position=top}} | ||
{{Location map~ |Ireland |lat=53.261389|long=-9.06944 |label=[[Pearse Stadium]]|position=right}} | {{Location map~ |Ireland |lat=53.261389|long=-9.06944 |label=[[Pearse Stadium]]|position=right}} | ||
{{Location map~|Ireland |label=[[Nowlan Park]] |position=right | {{Location map~|Ireland |label=[[Nowlan Park]] |position=right | ||
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Typically, over the four Sundays of September, All-Ireland Finals in men's football, ladies' football, hurling and camogie take place at [[Croke Park]], the national stadium of the GAA. Two grades are played on each final day, the ''senior'' team and the ''minor'' team (consisting of younger players, under the age of 18, who have participated in that year's [[All-Ireland Minor Football Championship]]). Guests who attend these events include the [[President of Ireland]], the [[Taoiseach]] and other important dignitaries. The football final is considered the pinnacle event of this period. | Typically, over the four Sundays of September, All-Ireland Finals in men's football, ladies' football, hurling and camogie take place at [[Croke Park]], the national stadium of the GAA. Two grades are played on each final day, the ''senior'' team and the ''minor'' team (consisting of younger players, under the age of 18, who have participated in that year's [[All-Ireland Minor Football Championship]]). Guests who attend these events include the [[President of Ireland]], the [[Taoiseach]] and other important dignitaries. The football final is considered the pinnacle event of this period. | ||
The final game of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship | The final game of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship historically took place on the third Sunday of September since the late 1920s. Since 2022, the final game is held on the third Sunday of July. The men's decider regularly attracts crowds of over 80,000. The winning team captain receives the [[Sam Maguire Cup]]. The current champions are Armagh. | ||
Due to COVID-19 and the related State restrictions, the [[2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final]] was staged on Saturday, 19 December, two weeks after the semi-finals. | Due to COVID-19 and the related State restrictions, the [[2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final]] was staged on Saturday, 19 December, two weeks after the semi-finals. | ||
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|- | |- | ||
! scope="row" |[[File:Colours of Kerry GAA.svg|20px|border]] [[Kerry county football team|Kerry]] | ! scope="row" |[[File:Colours of Kerry GAA.svg|20px|border]] [[Kerry county football team|Kerry]] | ||
| align="center" | | | align="center" | 39 | ||
| align="center" | 24 | | align="center" | 24 | ||
| |[[1903 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1903]], [[1904 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1904]], [[1909 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1909]], [[1913 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1913]], [[1914 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1914]], [[1924 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1924]], [[1926 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1926]], [[1929 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1929]], [[1930 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1930]], [[1931 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1931]], [[1932 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1932]], [[1937 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1937]], [[1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1939]], [[1940 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1940]], [[1941 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1941]], [[1946 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1946]], [[1953 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1953]], [[1955 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1955]], [[1959 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1959]], [[1962 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1962]], [[1969 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1969]], [[1970 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1970]], [[1975 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1975]], [[1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1978]], [[1979 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1979]], [[1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1980]], [[1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1981]], [[1984 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1984]], [[1985 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1985]], [[1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1986]], [[1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1997]], [[2000 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2000]], [[2004 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2004]], [[2006 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2006]], [[2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2007]], [[2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2009]], [[2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2014]], [[2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2022]] | | |[[1903 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1903]], [[1904 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1904]], [[1909 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1909]], [[1913 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1913]], [[1914 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1914]], [[1924 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1924]], [[1926 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1926]], [[1929 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1929]], [[1930 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1930]], [[1931 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1931]], [[1932 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1932]], [[1937 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1937]], [[1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1939]], [[1940 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1940]], [[1941 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1941]], [[1946 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1946]], [[1953 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1953]], [[1955 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1955]], [[1959 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1959]], [[1962 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1962]], [[1969 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1969]], [[1970 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1970]], [[1975 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1975]], [[1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1978]], [[1979 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1979]], [[1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1980]], [[1981 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1981]], [[1984 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1984]], [[1985 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1985]], [[1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1986]], [[1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1997]], [[2000 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2000]], [[2004 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2004]], [[2006 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2006]], [[2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2007]], [[2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2009]], [[2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2014]], [[2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2022]], [[2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2025]] | ||
|[[1892 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1892]], [[1905 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1905]], [[1910 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1910]], [[1915 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1915]], [[1923 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1923]], [[1927 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1927]], [[1938 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1938]], [[1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1944]], [[1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1947]], [[1954 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1954]], [[1960 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1960]], [[1964 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1964]], [[1965 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1965]], [[1968 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1968]], [[1972 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1972]], [[1976 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1976]], [[1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1982]], [[2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2002]], [[2005 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2005]], [[2008 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2008]], [[2011 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2011]], [[2015 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2015]], [[2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2019]], [[2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2023]] | |[[1892 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1892]], [[1905 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1905]], [[1910 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1910]], [[1915 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1915]], [[1923 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1923]], [[1927 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1927]], [[1938 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1938]], [[1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1944]], [[1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1947]], [[1954 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1954]], [[1960 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1960]], [[1964 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1964]], [[1965 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1965]], [[1968 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1968]], [[1972 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1972]], [[1976 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1976]], [[1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1982]], [[2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2002]], [[2005 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2005]], [[2008 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2008]], [[2011 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2011]], [[2015 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2015]], [[2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2019]], [[2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2023]] | ||
|- align="left" | |- align="left" | ||
| Line 1,052: | Line 1,054: | ||
! scope="row" |[[File:Colours of Donegal GAA.svg|20px|border]] [[Donegal county football team|Donegal]] | ! scope="row" |[[File:Colours of Donegal GAA.svg|20px|border]] [[Donegal county football team|Donegal]] | ||
| align="center" | 2 | | align="center" | 2 | ||
| align="center" | | | align="center" | 2 | ||
| [[1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1992]], [[2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2012]] | | [[1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|1992]], [[2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2012]] | ||
| [[2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2014]] | | [[2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2014]], [[2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2025]] | ||
|- align="left" | |- align="left" | ||
! scope="row" |[[File:Colours of Limerick.svg|20px|border]] [[Limerick county football team|Limerick]] | ! scope="row" |[[File:Colours of Limerick.svg|20px|border]] [[Limerick county football team|Limerick]] | ||
| Line 1,141: | Line 1,143: | ||
=== Roll of honour statistics === | === Roll of honour statistics === | ||
* Although [[Wexford GAA|Wexford]] were the first county to win four consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Finals (1915–18), historically [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] has been the most successful football team in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. As of 2023, Kerry has won the competition on | * Although [[Wexford GAA|Wexford]] were the first county to win four consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Finals (1915–18), historically [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] has been the most successful football team in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. As of 2023, Kerry has won the competition on 39 occasions, winning in four consecutive years twice (1929–1932 and 1978–1981) and also for three consecutive years twice (1939–1941 and 1984–1986). Dublin follows Kerry on the competition roll of honour with 31 wins, although up to the 1950s much of the success of Dublin teams was based on teams who had many non-Dublin born players playing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dublin became a football force after the team went 'only Dubs need apply' |url=https://www.independent.ie/opinion/dublin-became-a-football-force-after-the-team-went-only-dubs-need-apply/31536699.html |website=The independent |access-date=30 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Captain's log: the voyage that foundered before Dublin discovered route forward |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/captain-s-log-the-voyage-that-foundered-before-dublin-discovered-route-forward-1.2357113?mode=amp |website=irishtimes.com |access-date=30 June 2021}}</ref> | ||
* Dublin joined the "four in a row" club in 2018 by winning the competition consecutively since 2015. As of 2019, Dublin became the first team to win the competition five times in a row. And in 2020, Dublin won a sixth consecutive title. [[Galway GAA|Galway]] were the first team from the western province of [[Connacht]] to win an All-Ireland title, doing so in 1925. [[1933 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|The 1933 final]] brought victory for [[Cavan GAA|Cavan]], who became the first team from the northern province of [[Ulster]] to win an All-Ireland title. | * Dublin joined the "four in a row" club in 2018 by winning the competition consecutively since 2015. As of 2019, Dublin became the first team to win the competition five times in a row. And in 2020, Dublin won a sixth consecutive title. [[Galway GAA|Galway]] were the first team from the western province of [[Connacht]] to win an All-Ireland title, doing so in 1925. [[1933 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|The 1933 final]] brought victory for [[Cavan GAA|Cavan]], who became the first team from the northern province of [[Ulster]] to win an All-Ireland title. | ||
* Two teams have won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as part of [[The Double (Gaelic games)|a double]] with that year's [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]], namely [[Cork GAA|Cork]] (1890 and 1990) and [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]] (1895 and 1900). The championship has never been won by a team from outside Ireland, though [[London GAA|London]] have played in five finals. | * Two teams have won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as part of [[The Double (Gaelic games)|a double]] with that year's [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]], namely [[Cork GAA|Cork]] (1890 and 1990) and [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]] (1895 and 1900). The championship has never been won by a team from outside Ireland, though [[London GAA|London]] have played in five finals. | ||
* [[ | * [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] are the reigning champions, winning their thirty ninth title, having defeated [[Donegal GAA|Donegal]] in the [[2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final]]. | ||
==Team records and statistics== | ==Team records and statistics== | ||
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| bgcolor="#cceeee" |PQF | | bgcolor="#cceeee" |PQF | ||
| bgcolor="#cc9966" |SF | | bgcolor="#cc9966" |SF | ||
| bgcolor=" | | bgcolor="silver" |2nd | ||
!4 | !4 | ||
|- | |- | ||
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| bgcolor="silver" |2nd | | bgcolor="silver" |2nd | ||
| bgcolor="#cc9966" |SF | | bgcolor="#cc9966" |SF | ||
| bgcolor=" | | bgcolor="gold" |1st | ||
!4 | !4 | ||
|- | |- | ||
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!Player | !Player | ||
!County | !County | ||
|- | |||
| rowspan="1" align="center" |[[2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2025]] | |||
| [[File:Colours of Kerry.svg|border|20px]] [[David Clifford]] | |||
|[[Kerry county football team|Kerry]] | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="1" align="center" |[[2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2024]] | |||
| [[File:Colours of Galway.svg|border|20px]] [[Paul Conroy (Gaelic footballer)|Paul Conroy]] | |||
|[[Galway county football team|Galway]] | |||
|- | |- | ||
| rowspan="1" align="center" |[[2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2023]] | | rowspan="1" align="center" |[[2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2023]] | ||
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|All-Ireland Senior Football Championship | |All-Ireland Senior Football Championship | ||
| | | | ||
|[[ | |[[2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2025]] | ||
| [[File:Colours of | | [[File:Colours of Kerry.svg|border|20px]] [[Kerry county football team|Kerry]] | ||
| | |39th | ||
| [[File:Colours of | | [[File:Colours of Donegal.svg|border|20px]] [[Donegal county football team|Donegal]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[ | |[[2026 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|2026]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Connacht Senior Football Championship]] | |[[Connacht Senior Football Championship]] | ||
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| [[File:Colours of Mayo.svg|border|20px]] [[Mayo county football team|Mayo]] | | [[File:Colours of Mayo.svg|border|20px]] [[Mayo county football team|Mayo]] | ||
| | | | ||
|2026 | |[[2026 Connacht Senior Football Championship|2026]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Leinster Senior Football Championship]] | |[[Leinster Senior Football Championship]] | ||
| Line 1,559: | Line 1,569: | ||
| [[File:Colours of Louth.svg|border|20px]] [[Louth county football team|Louth]] | | [[File:Colours of Louth.svg|border|20px]] [[Louth county football team|Louth]] | ||
|9th | |9th | ||
| Meath | | [[File:Colours of Meath.svg|border|20px]] [[Meath county football team|Meath]] | ||
| | | | ||
|2026 | |[[2026 Leinster Senior Football Championship|2026]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Munster Senior Football Championship]] | |[[Munster Senior Football Championship]] | ||
| Line 1,570: | Line 1,580: | ||
| [[File:Colours of Clare.svg|border|20px]] [[Clare county football team|Clare]] | | [[File:Colours of Clare.svg|border|20px]] [[Clare county football team|Clare]] | ||
| | | | ||
|2026 | |[[2026 Munster Senior Football Championship|2026]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] | |[[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] | ||
| Line 1,579: | Line 1,589: | ||
| [[File:Colours of Armagh.svg|border|20px]] [[Armagh county football team|Armagh]] | | [[File:Colours of Armagh.svg|border|20px]] [[Armagh county football team|Armagh]] | ||
| | | | ||
|2026 | |[[2026 Ulster Senior Football Championship|2026]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Tailteann Cup]] | |[[Tailteann Cup]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[ | |[[2025 Tailteann Cup|2025]] | ||
| [[File:Colours of | | [[File:Colours of Kildare.svg|border|20x20px]] [[Kildare county football team|Kildare]] | ||
|1st | |1st | ||
| [[File:Colours of | | [[File:Colours of Limerick.svg|border|20px]] [[Limerick county football team|Limerick]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[ | |[[2026 Tailteann Cup|2026]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[All-Ireland Junior Football Championship]] | |[[All-Ireland Junior Football Championship]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[ | |[[2025 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship|2025]] | ||
| [[File:Colors of New York.svg|border|20px]] [[New York county football team|New York]] | | [[File:Colors of New York.svg|border|20px]] [[New York county football team|New York]] | ||
| | |3rd | ||
| [[File:Colours of London.svg|border|20px]] [[London county football team|London]] | | [[File:Colours of London.svg|border|20px]] [[London county football team|London]] | ||
| | | | ||
|[[ | |[[2026 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship|2026]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
Latest revision as of 20:07, 11 December 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Use Hiberno-English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox GAA tournament The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) (Template:Langx) is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions.
Organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the championship has been contested every year except one since 1887.
The final is played by the 35th Sunday of the year at Croke Park in Dublin, with the winning team receiving the Sam Maguire Cup. For the majority of its existence, the All-Ireland Championship has been played on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the championship. In more recent years, the qualification procedures for the championship have changed several times. Currently, qualification is limited to teams competing in 6 feeder competitions; the finalists of the 4 provincial championships: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster, the Tailteann Cup holders and the best non-qualified National Football League teams to make the 16-team group stage.
Thirty three teams currently participate in the All-Ireland Championship, with Kerry, Dublin, Galway and Cavan being the most successful teams in their respective provinces.
The title has been won by 19 counties, 18 of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Kerry, who have won the championship on 39 occasions. They are the current title holders, defeating Donegal by 1–26 to 0–19 in the 2025 final.
History
The first Championship to be held featured club teams who represented their respective counties after their county championship. The 21 a-side final was between Commercials of Limerick and Young Irelands of Louth. The final was played in Beech Hill, Donnybrook (not Bird Avenue) on 29 April 1888 with Commercials winning by 1–4 to 0–3. Unlike later All-Ireland competitions, there were no provincial championships, and the result was an open draw.
The second Championship was unfinished owing to the American Invasion Tour. The 1888 provincial championships had been completed (Tipperary, Kilkenny and Monaghan winning them; no Connacht teams entered) but after the Invasion tour returned, the All-Ireland semi-final and final were not played. English team London reached the final four times in the early years of the competition (1900–1903).
In 1892, inter-county teams were introduced to the All-Ireland Championship. Congress granted permission for the winning club to use players from other clubs in the county, thus the inter-county teams came into being. The rules of hurling and football were also altered: goals were made equal to five points, and teams were reduced from 21 to 17 a-side.
The 1903 Championship brought Kerry's first All-Ireland title. They went on to become the most successful football team in the history of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.[1]
Unlike in other European countries, such as neighbouring England, where annual sports events were cancelled during the twentieth century due to the First and Second World Wars, the All-Ireland Championship has been running continuously since 1887, with the final running since 1889 (the 1888 competition was played but no final was held due to the Invasion mentioned above). The competition continued even in spite of the effects on the country of the Civil War and the Second World War (the National Football League was not held during the latter). In 1941, the All-Ireland Championship was disrupted by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease but the postponed Leinster final were later rescheduled.[2]
The duration of certain championship matches increased from 60 to 80 minutes during the 1970s. They were settled at 70 minutes after five seasons of this in 1975.[3] This applied only to the provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.[4]
The first half of the twentieth century brought the rise of several teams who won two or more All-Ireland titles in that period, such as Kildare, Mayo, Cavan, Wexford and Roscommon. In the 1990s, a significant sea change took place, as the All-Ireland was claimed by an Ulster team in four consecutive years (1991–1994). Since then Ulster has produced more All-Ireland winning teams than any other province.[5]
The All-Ireland Qualifiers were introduced in 2001. Later that year, the 2001 final brought victory for Galway who became the first football team to win an All-Ireland by springing through "the back door." In 2013, Hawk-Eye was introduced for Championship matches at Croke Park.[6] It was first used to confirm that Offaly substitute Peter Cunningham's attempted point had gone wide 10 minutes into the second half of a game against Kildare.[7] 2013 also brought the first Friday night game in the history of the Championship – a first round qualifier between Carlow and Laois.[8]
In recent years further changes have been made to the structure of the championship. In 2018 the Super 8s were introduced, where the four provincial champions and the four-round 4 qualifier winners would be split into two groups of four teams. Each team plays their group rivals once, with the top two teams progressing to the All-Ireland Semi-Finals. In 2022 a two-tier format was adopted for the championship. Division 3 and 4 teams from the National Football League that fail to reach a provincial final will not proceed to the All-Ireland qualifiers and will instead play in the Tailteann Cup.[9][10]
Format history
Historic format (1888–2000)
For the first All-Ireland championship in 1887, the competition was played on an open draw knockout basis. From 1888, the provincial system was introduced, whereby the counties in each of Ireland's four provinces would play each other on a knockout basis to find provincial champions. These four champions would meet in the All-Ireland semi-finals. The structure outlined above was adopted in 2001 to allow more games to be played, but still retain provincial championships and the knockout structure, resulting in every game continuing to be a meaningful fixture, with no dead-rubber league format matches being played out.
Quarter-finals format (2001–2017)
From 2001 to 2017, the Championship was played using the Quarter-finals format. Under this format, Provincial matches would take place during the months of May, June and July. The winners of each of the four Provincial Championships would earn a place in the All-Ireland Quarter-Finals, which would take place in the month of August. Replays would be played for all drawn matches, not just drawn Provincial Finals and drawn All-Ireland Finals. Extra-time would only be used for Replays and Qualifier Matches. If the teams were still level after extra time, the qualifier match would go to a replay or in the case of replays, another replay would take place.
The qualifiers series (also referred to as the "back door") for teams that did not win their provincial championships would take place in the months of June and July with the winning four teams of Round 4 playing the four Provincial Champions in the All-Ireland Quarter Finals.
- All-Ireland Quarter-Finals: The four Provincial Champions would be drawn against the winning four teams from Round 4 of the All-Ireland Qualifiers. If a match finished with both teams level, a replay would take place. The four winning teams qualify for the All-Ireland Semi-Finals.
- All-Ireland Semi-Finals: The All-Ireland Semi-Finals would take place in August and be contested by the four winners of the All-Ireland Quarter Finals. If a match ended with both teams level, a replay would take place. The two winning teams qualify for the All-Ireland Final.
- All-Ireland Final: The two remaining teams would meet in the All-Ireland Final, usually on the third Sunday in September. The winning team is crowned All-Ireland Champions.[11]
Single-tier championship format (2018–2019)
This championship was identical to the format above, though with no second-tier championship all teams who failed to win their provincial final were eligible to play in the qualifiers. The qualifiers took place over four rounds rather than two, and the four winners of the fourth round proceeded to the All-Ireland Super 8s. As in the format above, the further a team progressed in their provincial championships the later the round they entered the qualifiers. The All-Ireland Super 8s were a round-robin group stage, featuring four teams placed into two groups. The two-highest ranked teams from each group were drawn into an All-Ireland Semi-final, which was followed by the All-Ireland Final.[12]
Return to single-elimination format (2020–2022)
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 championships returned to the historic single-elimination format. Teams that were eliminated in their provincial championships did not access the qualifiers, which were cancelled, and the "Super 8's" were removed in favour of a straight-knockout semi-final and final. In 2022 a smaller back door system took place then Knockout (2001–2017) or Super 8 (2018–2019) there was a knock out Tailteann Cup in 2022 as well.
Integration with the league and Tailteann Cup (2023–)
In 2023, the format of the championship was again altered. Under this system, approved at a Special Congress of the GAA in February 2022, the results in the National Football League (held in January through to March of each year) would have an impact on counties' progression in the championship. After the conclusion of the four provincial championships, whose structures remain unaltered, there would be a round-robin competition for 16 teams, split evenly into four. The groups would be made up of the four provincial champions and four runners-up, joined by a further eight teams based on their overall ranking from the league. The four group winners would automatically qualify for the All-Ireland Quarter Finals, and the four remaining spots in the quarter-finals are determined by playoff-matches between the second and third placed teams. The quarter finals, semi-finals and final are then played under the traditional single-elimination format. Furthermore, the 16 teams that fail to qualify for the round-robin stage would compete in the second-tier Tailteann Cup, which is also played via round-robin groups and single-elimination finals.[13][14]
Revamp again for 2026
A potential new format for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) is under consideration, with a single alternative structure gaining significant support. The proposal was discussed at a GAA Central Council meeting took place in Donegal on February 22, 2025. The format, inspired by systems previously used in 16-team county championships, emerged as the most favoured option during a recent consultation process involving GAA counties.
Key Features of the Proposed Format The alternative format retains the provincial championships and introduces a new pathway for teams advancing to the All-Ireland series. After the completion of the provincial competitions, the eight provincial finalists would join the top seven National Football League teams and the Tailteann Cup winners in the first round of the Sam Maguire Cup. The outcome of this round would determine the placement of teams into two groups: winners and losers.
Quarter-Final Qualification
The winners of the provincial winners' group would secure direct qualification for the All-Ireland quarter-finals. The remaining quarter-final spots would be contested between the provincial losers’ group winners and the losers of the provincial winners' group.
Game Structure
The proposed format involves 27 games across six rounds, a reduction from the current 35 games over seven rounds. This streamlining is aimed at easing scheduling pressure and creating a clearer gap between the league and the provincial championships.
Minimum Games Guarantee
Counties would be assured at least three championship games, down from the four currently guaranteed. This will occur in the 2026 season.
Preliminary round, Quarter-finals and Semi-finals of the Provincial championships will be played in separate weekends in 2026 not like previous 3 years. In 2026 Connacht championship at the Quarter-final stage Mayo will host London and Roscommon will host New York in separate weekends the Quarter-final between 2 teams of Galway, Sligo and Leitrim will be after overseas trips are over in the last of them.
Format
Counties
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote".
The county is a geographical region in Ireland, and each of the thirty-two counties in Ireland organise their own Gaelic games affairs through a County Board. The county teams play in their respective Provincial Championships (reflective of the four Irish provinces) in Connacht (which also includes teams from London and New York), Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. Kilkenny is currently unique among the 32 Irish county associations in not participating in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The Provincial Championships operate through a knock-out cup competition format.
Provincial championships
Connacht Championship (Seven teams)
Quarter-finals (3 matches): These are three matches between the first six teams drawn – the other team receive a bye. Three teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals. London and New York City games go into rotation of every 5th year.
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the three quarter-finals join the other team to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final and qualify for the All-Ireland group stage.
Final (1 match): The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. The Connacht champions and runners-up advance directly to the All-Ireland group stage as first seeds and second seeds respectively.
Leinster Championship (Eleven teams)
Preliminary round (3 matches): These are three matches between the first six teams drawn – the other five teams receive a bye. Three teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals (4 matches): The winners of the three preliminary round matches join the other five teams to make up the quarter-final pairings. Four teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the four quarter-finals make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final and qualify for the All-Ireland group stage.
Final (1 match): The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. The Leinster champions and runners-up advance directly to the All-Ireland group stage as first seeds and second seeds respectively.
Munster Championship (Six teams)
Quarter-finals (2 matches): These are two matches between the first four teams drawn – the other two teams receive a bye. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the two quarter-finals join the other two teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final and qualify for the All-Ireland group stage.
Final (1 match): The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. The Munster champions and runners-up advance directly to the All-Ireland group stage as first seeds and second seeds respectively.
Ulster Championship (Nine teams)
Preliminary round (1 match): This is one match between the first two teams drawn – the other seven teams receive a bye. One team is eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals (4 matches): The winners of the preliminary round join the other seven teams to make up the quarter-final pairings. Four teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the four quarter-finals make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final and qualify for the All-Ireland group stage.
Final (1 match): The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. The Ulster champions and runners-up advance directly to the All-Ireland group stage as first seeds and second seeds respectively.
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship group stage
Group stage (Sixteen teams remaining)
Group stage (24 matches): The 8 provincial finalists, the Tailteann Cup holders and the next 7 highest ranked counties in the National Football League make up the group stage teams. Teams are divided into four groups of four. The group winners advance to the quarter-finals and the group runners-up and group third placed teams advance to the preliminary quarter-finals. Four teams are eliminated at this stage while twelve teams advance to the All-Ireland knockout-stage.
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship knockout stage
Preliminary quarter-finals (12 teams remaining)
Preliminary quarter-finals (4 matches): The second-placed teams from the group stage play the third-placed teams from the group stage. Teams who met in the provincial finals are kept apart in separate quarter-finals and provincial champions are kept apart where possible. Four teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals (Eight teams remaining)
Quarter-finals (4 matches): The winners of the preliminary quarter-finals join the first placed teams in the group stage. Teams who met in the provincial finals are kept apart in separate quarter-finals and provincial champions are kept apart where possible. Four teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals (Four teams remaining)
Semi-finals (2 matches): The winners of the quarter-finals make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who met in the provincial finals are kept apart in the semi-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.
Final
Final (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game. The winning team are declared All-Ireland champions.
Inter county championship pyramid
Teams from the first two levels are eligible for the All-Ireland series in that year. Teams from tiers 3 to 5 may reach tiers 1 and 2 through promotion.
| Level | Total teams | Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Connacht Senior Football Championship
7 counties |
Leinster Senior Football Championship
12 counties |
Munster Senior Football Championship
6 counties |
Ulster Senior Football Championship
9 counties |
| 2 | 17 | Tailteann Cup
17 counties | |||
| 3 | 10 | All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
10 counties | |||
Teams
2025 Championship
Thirty three counties competed in the 2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: seven teams in the Connacht Senior Football Championship, eleven teams in the Leinster Senior Football Championship, six teams in the Munster Senior Football Championship and nine teams in the Ulster Senior Football Championship.
Venues
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| Dublin | Thurles | Limerick | Killarney |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croke Park | Semple Stadium | Gaelic Grounds | Fitzgerald Stadium |
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| Capacity: 82,300 | Capacity: 45,690 | Capacity: 44,023 | Capacity: 38,000 |
| File:Croke park hogan stand.jpg | File:Semple1.jpg | File:FitzGeraldStadium.jpg | |
| Castlebar | Script error: No such module "Location map/multi". | Clones | |
| MacHale Park | St Tiernach's Park | ||
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| Capacity: 25,369 | Capacity: 29,000 | ||
| File:MacHale Park, Castlebar, Ireland, November 2016.jpg | File:Clones 010.jpg | ||
| Galway | Cork | Kilkenny | Cavan |
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| Pearse Stadium | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | Nowlan Park | Breffni Park |
| Capacity: 26,197 | Capacity: 45,000 | Capacity: 27,000 | Capacity: 25,030 |
| File:Pearse Park.jpg | File:Páirc Uí Chaoimh.jpg | File:Nowlan Park - geograph.org.uk - 555264 (cropped).jpg | |
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Stadia and locations
List of finals
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Typically, over the four Sundays of September, All-Ireland Finals in men's football, ladies' football, hurling and camogie take place at Croke Park, the national stadium of the GAA. Two grades are played on each final day, the senior team and the minor team (consisting of younger players, under the age of 18, who have participated in that year's All-Ireland Minor Football Championship). Guests who attend these events include the President of Ireland, the Taoiseach and other important dignitaries. The football final is considered the pinnacle event of this period.
The final game of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship historically took place on the third Sunday of September since the late 1920s. Since 2022, the final game is held on the third Sunday of July. The men's decider regularly attracts crowds of over 80,000. The winning team captain receives the Sam Maguire Cup. The current champions are Armagh.
Due to COVID-19 and the related State restrictions, the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was staged on Saturday, 19 December, two weeks after the semi-finals.
For the first time since 2000, the football championship was a sudden-death scenario, while the hurling championship – completed on Sunday, 13 December – contained a backdoor format.
Roll of Honour
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Performance by county
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Performances by province
| Province | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Leinster.svg Leinster | 53 | 38 | 91 |
| File:Flag of Munster.svg Munster | 51 | 43 | 94 |
| File:Flag of Ulster.svg Ulster | 18 | 18 | 36 |
| File:Flag of Connacht.svg Connacht | 14 | 32 | 46 |
| File:Flag of the United Kingdom (3-5).svg Britain | 0 | 5 | 5 |
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Roll of honour statistics
- Although Wexford were the first county to win four consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Finals (1915–18), historically Kerry has been the most successful football team in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. As of 2023, Kerry has won the competition on 39 occasions, winning in four consecutive years twice (1929–1932 and 1978–1981) and also for three consecutive years twice (1939–1941 and 1984–1986). Dublin follows Kerry on the competition roll of honour with 31 wins, although up to the 1950s much of the success of Dublin teams was based on teams who had many non-Dublin born players playing.[15][16]
- Dublin joined the "four in a row" club in 2018 by winning the competition consecutively since 2015. As of 2019, Dublin became the first team to win the competition five times in a row. And in 2020, Dublin won a sixth consecutive title. Galway were the first team from the western province of Connacht to win an All-Ireland title, doing so in 1925. The 1933 final brought victory for Cavan, who became the first team from the northern province of Ulster to win an All-Ireland title.
- Two teams have won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as part of a double with that year's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, namely Cork (1890 and 1990) and Tipperary (1895 and 1900). The championship has never been won by a team from outside Ireland, though London have played in five finals.
- Kerry are the reigning champions, winning their thirty ninth title, having defeated Donegal in the 2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.
Team records and statistics
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Team results (since the introduction of Tailteann Cup)
Legend
- Template:Bg – Champions
- Template:Bg – Runners-up
- Template:Bg – Semi-finals
- Template:Bg – Quarter-finals/Preliminary quarter-finals
- Template:Bg – Round 2/Round 1/Group stage
- TC – Tailteann Cup
For each year, the number of teams (in brackets) are shown.
| Team | 2022 (16) | 2023 (16) | 2024 (16) | 2025 (16) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Colours of Armagh.svg Armagh | QF | QF | 1st | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Cavan.svg Cavan | TC | TC | GS | 2 | |
| File:Colours of Clare.svg Clare | QF | GS | GS | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Cork.svg Cork | QF | QF | PQF | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Derry.svg Derry | SF | SF | QF | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Donegal.svg Donegal | R2 | PQF | SF | 2nd | 4 |
| File:Colours of Down.svg Down | TC | TC | TC | 1 | |
| File:Colours of Dublin.svg Dublin | SF | 1st | QF | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Galway.svg Galway | 2nd | PQF | 2nd | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Kerry.svg Kerry | 1st | 2nd | SF | 1st | 4 |
| File:Colours of Kildare.svg Kildare | R2 | PQF | TC | TC | 2 |
| File:Colours of Limerick.svg Limerick | R2 | TC | TC | TC | 1 |
| File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth | R1 | GS | QF | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Mayo.svg Mayo | QF | QF | PQF | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Meath.svg Meath | R1 | TC | GS | 3 | |
| File:Colours of Monaghan.svg Monaghan | R1 | SF | PQF | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Roscommon.svg Roscommon | R2 | PQF | QF | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Sligo.svg Sligo | TC | GS | TC | TC | 1 |
| File:Colours of Tyrone.svg Tyrone | R1 | QF | PQF | 4 | |
| File:Colours of Westmeath.svg Westmeath | TC | GS | GS | TC | 2 |
Debut of counties
Player records
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Player of the year
All-time appearances
| Rank | Player | Team | Appearances | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Colours of Dublin.svg Stephen Cluxton | Dublin | 111 | 2001–present |
| 2 | File:Colours of Tyrone.svg Seán Cavanagh | Tyrone | 89 | 2002–2017 |
| 3 | File:Colours of Kerry.svg Marc Ó Sé | Kerry | 88 | 2002–2015 |
| 4 | File:Colours of Kerry.svg Tomás Ó Sé | Kerry | 88 | 1998–2013 |
| 5 | File:Colours of Kerry.svg Colm Cooper | Kerry | 85 | 2002–2016 |
| 6 | File:Colours of Mayo.svg Andy Moran | Mayo | 84 | 2004–2019 |
| 7 | File:Colours of Kerry.svg Darragh Ó Sé | Kerry | 81 | 1997–2010 |
| 8 | File:Colours of Laois.svg Ross Munnelly | Laois | 79 | 2003–2022 |
| 9 | File:Colours of Mayo.svg Aidan O'Shea | Mayo | 78 | 2009–present |
| 10 | File:Colours of Kerry.svg Tom O'Sullivan | Kerry | 76 | 2000–2011 |
Championship Tiers
Title Holders
| Competition | Year | Champions | Title | Runners-up | Next edition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland Senior Football Championship | 2025 | File:Colours of Kerry.svg Kerry | 39th | File:Colours of Donegal.svg Donegal | 2026 | ||
| Connacht Senior Football Championship | 2025 | File:Colours of Galway.svg Galway | 51st | File:Colours of Mayo.svg Mayo | 2026 | ||
| Leinster Senior Football Championship | 2025 | File:Colours of Louth.svg Louth | 9th | File:Colours of Meath.svg Meath | 2026 | ||
| Munster Senior Football Championship | 2025 | File:Colours of Kerry.svg Kerry | 86th | File:Colours of Clare.svg Clare | 2026 | ||
| Ulster Senior Football Championship | 2025 | File:Colours of Donegal.svg Donegal | 12th | File:Colours of Armagh.svg Armagh | 2026 | ||
| Tailteann Cup | 2025 | File:Colours of Kildare.svg Kildare | 1st | File:Colours of Limerick.svg Limerick | 2026 | ||
| All-Ireland Junior Football Championship | 2025 | File:Colors of New York.svg New York | 3rd | File:Colours of London.svg London | 2026 |
2025 Tiers
See also
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
- List of All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal winners
- All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
- List of Gaelic games competitions
References
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- ↑ Breheny, Martin. "The Final Verdict: The Greatest of my Lifetime" in Martin Breheny's Greatest All-Ireland Finals. Irish Independent. 1 September 2018, p. 2.
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External links
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- Pages with script errors
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- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
- 1887 establishments in Ireland
- All-Ireland inter-county football championships
- Annual sporting events in Ireland
- National championships in Ireland
- Recurring sporting events established in 1887
- Senior inter-county Gaelic football competitions