All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

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.

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.

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. This applied only to the provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.

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.

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. 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. 2013 also brought the first Friday night game in the history of the Championship – a first round qualifier between Carlow and Laois.

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.

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.

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.

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.

2026 proposal

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, while 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, from the 2026 season.

The Preliminary round, Quarter-finals and Semi-finals of the Provincial championships will be played in separate weekends in 2026. In 2026, the Connacht championship at the Quarter-final stage will see Mayo host London and Roscommon host New York in separate weekends, while the Quarter-final between any two of Galway, Sligo and Leitrim will be after the overseas trips have been completed.

Format

Counties

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.

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

Main article: List of Gaelic Athletic Association stadiums

Stadia and locations

List of finals

Main article: List of All-Ireland Senior Football Championship finals

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

Main article: All-Ireland Senior Football Championship records and statistics

Performance by county

a. London received a bye to the final in five seasons.

Performances by province

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.
• 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

Main article: All-Ireland Senior Football Championship records and statistics

Team results (since the introduction of Tailteann Cup)

Legend

• – Champions
• – Runners-up
• – Semi-finals
• – Quarter-finals/Preliminary quarter-finals
• – Round 2/Round 1/Group stage
• TC – Tailteann Cup

For each year, the number of teams (in brackets) are shown.

Debut of counties

Player records

Main article: All-Ireland Senior Football Championship records and statistics

Player of the year

All-time appearances

Championship Tiers

Title Holders

2025 Tiers

References

References

1. (4 November 2012). "From Sam Maguire to Dr Maguire – St Eunan's and Naomh Conaill do battle in County Final". Donegal Daily.
2. "GAA Roll of Honour".
3. Moran, Seán. (11 September 2019). "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". [[The Irish Times]].
4. [[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.
5. Moran, Seán. (11 September 2019). "Will time be on Dublin's side once more?". [[The Irish Times]].
6. Moran, Seán. (26 May 2013). "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". [[The Irish Times]].
7. (15 May 2013). "GAA hopes Hawk-Eye will eliminate contentious points". RTÉ Sport.
8. (2 June 2013). "Hawkeye makes successful debut". Hogan Stand.
9. (17 June 2013). "Qualifiers include first ever Friday night game". RTÉ Sport.
10. (19 October 2019). "Two tier Football Championship format to be introduced". GAA.ie.
11. (19 October 2019). "GAA Special Congress 2019: The motions explained". GAA.ie.
12. "GAA".
13. (25 February 2017). "'Super 8' system to replace Senior Football Championship quarter-finals after GAA vote". RTÉ Sport.
14. (26 February 2022). "All-Ireland football championship to be revamped in 2023 as Green Proposal passes Congress". the42.ie.
15. (26 February 2022). "New All Ireland SFC format to be adopted". gaa.ie.
16. "Dublin became a football force after the team went 'only Dubs need apply'".
17. "Captain's log: the voyage that foundered before Dublin discovered route forward".