Wikipedia

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

(Redirected from All Ireland Football Championship)
This article is about Gaelic football (male). For Gaelic football (women), see All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship.

The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) (Irish: Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions.

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Current season or competition:
2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Logo
IrishCraobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann
CodeGaelic football
Founded1887; 137 years ago (1887)
Region Ireland (31 teams)
 England (1 team)
 United States (1 team) (GAA)
TrophySam Maguire Cup
No. of teams33
Title holders Armagh (2nd title)
Most titles Kerry (38 titles)
SponsorsSupervalu
Allied Irish Bank
Allianz
TV partner(s)RTÉ, BBC Northern Ireland, Premier Sports, TG4[1]
Official websitegaa.ie/gaa-football-championship

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 different counties, 17 of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Kerry, who have won the championship on 38 occasions. Armagh are the current title holders, defeating Galway by 1–11 to 0–13 in the 2024 final.

History

edit

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.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4] This applied only to the provincial finals, All-Ireland semi-finals and finals.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] 2013 also brought the first Friday night game in the history of the Championship – a first round qualifier between Carlow and Laois.[9]

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 will be 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.[10][11]

Format history

edit

Historic format (1888–2000)

edit

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)

edit

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.[12]

Single-tier championship format (2018–2019)

edit

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.[13]

Return to single-elimination format (2020–2022)

edit

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–)

edit

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.[14][15]

Revamp again for 2026
edit

A potential new format for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) is under consideration[3], with a single alternative structure gaining significant support. The proposal is set to be discussed at a GAA Central Council meeting in Spring 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.

Format

edit

Counties

edit
See also: County (Gaelic games)
 
Fans of Sligo (in black) are visible in the crowd among supporters of Cork, Meath and Tyrone. The introduction of the All-Ireland Qualifiers in 2001 provided weaker counties with opportunities to play big games at Croke Park.

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

edit

Connacht Championship (Seven teams)

edit

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)

edit

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)

edit

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)

edit

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

edit

Group stage (Sixteen teams remaining)

edit

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

edit

Preliminary quarter-finals (12 teams remaining)

edit

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)

edit

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)

edit

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 separate semi-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.

Final

edit

Final (1 match): The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game. Winning team are declared All-Ireland champions.

Inter county championship pyramid

edit

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

edit

2025 Championship

edit

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.

County Location Stadium Province Position in 2024 Championship Current Championship First year in championship In championship since Provincial Titles Last Provincial Title Championship Titles Last Championship Title
  Antrim Belfast Corrigan Park Ulster Semi-finals (Tailteann Cup) Ulster Senior Football Championship 1890 10 1951 0 —
  Armagh Armagh Athletic Grounds Ulster Ulster Senior Football Championship 1890 14 2008 2 2024
  Carlow Carlow Dr Cullen Park Leinster Group stage (Tailteann Cup) Leinster Senior Football Championship 1897 1 1944 0 —
  Cavan Cavan Breffni Park Ulster Group stage Ulster Senior Football Championship 1888 40 2020 5 1952
  Clare Ennis Cusack Park Munster Group stage Munster Senior Football Championship 1887 2 1992 0 —
  Cork Cork Páirc Uí Chaoimh Munster Preliminary quarter-finals Munster Senior Football Championship 1887 37 2012 7 2010
  Derry Derry Celtic Park Ulster Quarter-finals Ulster Senior Football Championship 1904 9 2023 1 1993
  Donegal Ballybofey MacCumhaill Park Ulster Ulster Senior Football Championship 1906 11 2024 2 2012
  Down Newry Páirc Esler Ulster Ulster Senior Football Championship 1904 12 1994 5 1994
  Dublin Donnycarney Parnell Park Leinster Quarter-finals Leinster Senior Football Championship 1887 63 2024 31 2023
  Fermanagh Enniskillen Brewster Park Ulster Quarter-finals (Tailteann Cup) Ulster Senior Football Championship 1903 0 — 0 —
  Galway Galway Pearse Stadium Connacht Quarter-finals Connacht Senior Football Championship 1887 50 2024 9 2001
  Kerry Tralee Austin Stack Park Munster Munster Senior Football Championship 1889 85 2024 38 2022
  Kildare Newbridge St Conleth's Park Leinster Quarter-finals (Tailteann Cup) Leinster Senior Football Championship 1888 13 2000 4 1928
  Laois Portlaoise O'Moore Park Leinster Leinster Senior Football Championship 1888 6 2003 0 —
  Leitrim Carrick-on-Shannon Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada Connacht Preliminary quarter-finals (Tailteann Cup) Connacht Senior Football Championship 1906 2 1994 0 —
  Limerick Limerick Gaelic Grounds Munster Quarter-finals (Tailteann Cup) Munster Senior Football Championship 1887 1965 1 1896 2 1896
  London South Ruislip McGovern Park Britain Preliminary quarter-finals (Tailteann Cup) Connacht Senior Football Championship 1900 2022 0 — 0 —
  Longford Longford Pearse Park Leinster Group stage (Tailteann Cup) Leinster Senior Football Championship 1903 1 1968 0 —
  Louth Drogheda Drogheda Park Leinster Leinster Senior Football Championship 1887 8 1957 3 1957
  Mayo Castlebar MacHale Park Connacht Preliminary quarter-finals Connacht Senior Football Championship 1901 48 2021 3 1951
  Meath Navan Páirc Tailteann Leinster Group stage Leinster Senior Football Championship 1887 21 2010 7 1999
  Monaghan Clones St Tiernach's Park Ulster Preliminary quarter-finals Ulster Senior Football Championship 1888 16 2015 0 —
  New York Bronx Gaelic Park North America Preliminary quarter-finals (Tailteann Cup) Connacht Senior Football Championship 1999 2022 0 — 0 —
  Offaly Tullamore O'Connor Park Leinster Group stage (Tailteann Cup) Leinster Senior Football Championship 1896 10 1997 3 1982
  Roscommon Roscommon Dr Hyde Park Connacht Quarter-finals Connacht Senior Football Championship 1892 24 2019 2 1944
  Sligo Sligo Markievicz Park Connacht Semi-finals (Tailteann Cup) Connacht Senior Football Championship 1905 2021 3 2007 0 —
  Tipperary Thurles Semple Stadium Munster Preliminary quarter-finals (Tailteann Cup) Munster Senior Football Championship 1887 10 2020 4 1920
  Tyrone Omagh Healy Park Ulster Preliminary quarter-finals Ulster Senior Football Championship 1890 16 2021 4 2021
  Waterford Waterford Walsh Park Munster Group stage (Tailteann Cup) Munster Senior Football Championship 1887 1 1898 0 —
  Westmeath Mullingar Cusack Park Leinster Group stage Leinster Senior Football Championship 1890 1 2004 0 —
  Wexford Wexford Chadwicks Wexford Park Leinster Group stage (Tailteann Cup) Leinster Senior Football Championship 1887 10 1945 5 1918
  Wicklow Aughrim Aughrim County Ground Leinster Quarter-finals (Tailteann Cup) Leinster Senior Football Championship 1887 0 — 0 —

Venues

edit
Main article: List of Gaelic Athletic Association stadiums
Dublin Thurles Limerick Killarney
Croke Park Semple Stadium Gaelic Grounds Fitzgerald Stadium
53°21′38.70″N 6°15′4.80″W / 53.3607500°N 6.2513333°W / 53.3607500; -6.2513333 52°40′55.91″N 7°49′30.40″W / 52.6821972°N 7.8251111°W / 52.6821972; -7.8251111 52°40′12.50″N 8°39′15.10″W / 52.6701389°N 8.6541944°W / 52.6701389; -8.6541944 52°3′58.75″N 9°30′28.56″W / 52.0663194°N 9.5079333°W / 52.0663194; -9.5079333
Capacity: 82,300 Capacity: 45,690 Capacity: 44,023 Capacity: 38,000
     
Castlebar
class=notpageimage|
Location of the top 10 GAA stadiums by capacity in Ireland.
 Clones
MacHale Park St Tiernach's Park
53°51′13.92″N 9°17′3.93″W / 53.8538667°N 9.2844250°W / 53.8538667; -9.2844250 54°11′8.04″N 7°13′57.86″W / 54.1855667°N 7.2327389°W / 54.1855667; -7.2327389
Capacity: 25,369 Capacity: 29,000
   
Galway Cork Kilkenny Cavan
53°15′47.92″N 9°5′2.98″W / 53.2633111°N 9.0841611°W / 53.2633111; -9.0841611 51°53′59.10″N 8°26′6.15″W / 51.8997500°N 8.4350417°W / 51.8997500; -8.4350417 52°39′23.03″N 7°14′22.85″W / 52.6563972°N 7.2396806°W / 52.6563972; -7.2396806 53°58′54.54″N 7°21′33.38″W / 53.9818167°N 7.3592722°W / 53.9818167; -7.3592722
Pearse Stadium Páirc Uí Chaoimh Nowlan Park Breffni Park
Capacity: 26,197 Capacity: 45,000 Capacity: 27,000 Capacity: 25,030
     

Stadia and locations

edit
County Location Province Stadium(s) Capacity
N / A Dublin Leinster Croke Park (neutral) 82,300
  Antrim Belfast Ulster Corrigan Park 3,700
  Armagh Armagh Ulster Athletic Grounds 18,500
  Carlow Carlow Leinster Dr Cullen Park 21,000
  Cavan Cavan Ulster Breffni Park 32,000
  Clare Ennis Munster Cusack Park 19,000
  Cork Cork Munster Páirc Uí Chaoimh 45,000
  Derry Derry Ulster Celtic Park 15,000
  Donegal Ballybofey Ulster MacCumhaill Park 18,000
  Down Newry Ulster Páirc Esler 20,000
  Dublin Donnycarney Leinster Parnell Park 8,500
  Fermanagh Enniskillen Ulster Brewster Park 20,000
  Galway Galway Connacht Pearse Stadium 26,197
  Kerry Killarney Munster Fitzgerald Stadium 38,000
  Kildare Newbridge Leinster St Conleth's Park 8,200
  Kilkenny Kilkenny Leinster Nowlan Park 27,000
  Laois Portlaoise Leinster O'Moore Park 27,000
  Leitrim Carrick-on-Shannon Connacht Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada 9,331
  Limerick Limerick Munster Gaelic Grounds 44,203
  London South Ruislip Britain McGovern Park 3,000
  Longford Longford Leinster Pearse Park 6,000
  Louth Drogheda Leinster Drogheda Park 3,500
  Mayo Castlebar Connacht MacHale Park 25,369
  Meath Navan Leinster Páirc Tailteann 11,000
  Monaghan Clones Ulster St Tiernach's Park 36,000
  New York Bronx North America Gaelic Park 2,000
  Offaly Tullamore Leinster O'Connor Park 20,000
  Roscommon Roscommon Connacht Dr Hyde Park 25,000
  Sligo Sligo Connacht Markievicz Park 18,558
  Tipperary Thurles Munster Semple Stadium 45,690
  Tyrone Omagh Ulster Healy Park 17,636
  Waterford Waterford Munster Fraher Field 15,000
  Westmeath Mullingar Leinster Cusack Park 11,000
  Wexford Wexford Leinster Chadwicks Wexford Park 20,000
  Wicklow Aughrim Leinster Aughrim County Ground 7,000

List of finals

edit
Main article: List of All-Ireland Senior Football Championship finals
 
Croke Park kitted out in the green and red of Mayo fans at the 2004 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.

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 takes place on the third Sunday of September. 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

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

Performance by county

edit
County Title(s) Runners-up Winning years Losing years
  Kerry 38 24 1903, 1904, 1909, 1913, 1914, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1946, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1962, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2022 1892, 1905, 1910, 1915, 1923, 1927, 1938, 1944, 1947, 1954, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1982, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
  Dublin 31 13 1891, 1892, 1894, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1942, 1958, 1963, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1983, 1995, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023 1896, 1904, 1920, 1924, 1934, 1955, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1992, 1994
  Galway 9 15 1925, 1934, 1938, 1956, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1998, 2001 1919, 1922, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1959, 1963, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1983, 2000, 2022, 2024
  Cork 7 16 1890, 1911, 1945, 1973, 1989, 1990, 2010 1891, 1893, 1894, 1897, 1899, 1906, 1907, 1956, 1957, 1967, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1999, 2007, 2009
  Meath 7 9 1949, 1954, 1967, 1987, 1988, 1996, 1999 1895, 1939, 1951, 1952, 1966, 1970, 1990, 1991, 2001
  Cavan 5 6 1933, 1935, 1947, 1948, 1952 1925, 1928, 1937, 1943, 1945, 1949
  Wexford 5 3 1893, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 1890, 1913, 1914
  Down 5 1 1960, 1961, 1968, 1991, 1994 2010
  Kildare 4 5 1905, 1919, 1927, 1928 1926, 1929, 1931, 1935, 1998
  Tyrone 4 3 2003, 2005, 2008, 2021 1986, 1995, 2018
  Tipperary 4 1 1889, 1895, 1900, 1920 1918
  Mayo 3 15 1936, 1950, 1951 1916, 1921, 1932, 1948, 1989, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021
  Offaly 3 3 1971, 1972, 1982 1961, 1969, 1981
  Louth 3 3 1910, 1912, 1957 1887, 1909, 1950
  Roscommon 2 3 1943, 1944 1946, 1962, 1980
  Armagh 2 3 2002, 2024 1953, 1977, 2003
  Donegal 2 1 1992, 2012 2014
  Limerick 2 0 1887, 1896 –
  Derry 1 1 1993 1958
  London[a] 0 5 – 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1908
  Laois 0 2 – 1889, 1936
  Antrim 0 2 – 1911, 1912
  Waterford 0 1 – 1898
  Clare 0 1 – 1917
  Monaghan 0 1 – 1930

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

Performances by province

edit
Province Winners Runners-up Total
  Leinster 53 38 91
  Munster 51 43 94
  Ulster 18 18 36
  Connacht 14 32 46
  Britain 0 5 5

Roll of honour statistics

edit
  • 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 38 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.[16][17]
  • 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.
  • Armagh are the reigning champions, winning their second ever title, having defeated Galway in the 2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.

Team records and statistics

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

Team results (since the introduction of Tailteann Cup)

edit

Legend

edit
  • 1st – Champions
  • 2nd – Runners-up
  • SF – Semi-finals
  • QF/PQF – Quarter-finals/Preliminary quarter-finals
  • R2/R1/GS – 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) Years
  Armagh QF QF 3
  Cavan TC TC GS 1
  Clare QF GS GS 3
  Cork QF QF PQF 3
  Derry SF SF QF 3
  Donegal R2 PQF SF 3
  Dublin SF 1st QF 3
  Galway 2nd PQF 3
  Kerry 1st 2nd SF 3
  Kildare R2 PQF TC 2
  Limerick R2 TC TC 1
  Louth R1 GS QF 3
  Mayo QF QF PQF 3
  Meath R1 TC GS 2
  Monaghan R1 SF PQF 3
  Roscommon R2 PQF QF 3
  Sligo TC GS TC 1
  Tyrone R1 QF PQF 3
  Westmeath TC GS GS 2

Debut of counties

edit
Year Debutants Total
1887   Clare,   Cork,   Dublin,   Galway,   Kilkenny,   Limerick,   Louth,   Meath,   Tipperary,   Waterford,   Wexford,   Wicklow 12
1888   Cavan,   Kildare,   Laois,   Monaghan 4
1889   Kerry 1
1890   Antrim,   Armagh,   Tyrone,   Westmeath 4
1891 None 0
1892   Roscommon 1
1893–1895 None 0
1896   Offaly 1
1897   Carlow 1
1898–1899 None 0
1900   London 1
1901   Mayo 1
1902 None 0
1903   Fermanagh,   Longford 2
1904   Derry,   Down 2
1905   Sligo 1
1906   Donegal,   Leitrim 2
1907–1998 None 0
1999   New York 1
2000–present None 0
Total 34

Player records

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

Player of the year

edit
Year Player County
2023   David Clifford Kerry
2022   David Clifford Kerry
2021   Kieran McGeary Tyrone
2020   Brian Fenton Dublin
2019   Stephen Cluxton Dublin
2018   Brian Fenton Dublin
2017   Andy Moran Mayo
2016   Lee Keegan Mayo
2015   Jack McCaffrey Dublin
2014   James O'Donoghue Kerry

All-time appearances

edit
Rank Player Team Appearances Year
1   Stephen Cluxton Dublin 111 2001–present
2   Seán Cavanagh Tyrone 89 2002–2017
3   Marc Ó Sé Kerry 88 2002–2015
4   Tomás Ó Sé Kerry 88 1998–2013
5   Colm Cooper Kerry 85 2002–2016
6   Andy Moran Mayo 84 2004–2019
7   Darragh Ó Sé Kerry 81 1997–2010
8   Ross Munnelly Laois 79 2003–2022
9   Aidan O'Shea Mayo 78 2009–present
10   Tom O'Sullivan Kerry 76 2000–2011

Championship Tiers

edit

Title Holders

edit
Competition Year Champions Title Runners-up Next edition
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2024   Armagh 2nd   Galway 2025
Connacht Senior Football Championship 2024   Galway 50th Mayo 2025
Leinster Senior Football Championship 2024   Dublin 63rd   Louth 2025
Munster Senior Football Championship 2024   Kerry 85th   Clare 2025
Ulster Senior Football Championship 2024 Donegal 11th   Armagh 2025
Tailteann Cup 2024   Down 1st Laois 2025
All-Ireland Junior Football Championship 2024   New York 2nd London 2025

2024 Tiers

edit
Championship County team Province
All-Ireland SFC   Armagh Ulster
  Cavan Ulster
  Clare Munster
  Cork Munster
  Derry Ulster
  Donegal Ulster
  Down Ulster
  Dublin Leinster
  Galway Connacht
  Kerry Munster
  Kildare Leinster
  Louth Leinster
  Mayo Connacht
  Meath Leinster
  Monaghan Ulster
  Offaly Leinster
  Roscommon Connacht
  Tyrone Ulster
  Westmeath Leinster
Tailteann Cup   Antrim Ulster
  Carlow Leinster
  Fermanagh Ulster
  Laois Leinster
  Leitrim Connacht
  Limerick Munster
  London Britain
  Longford Leinster
  New York North America
  Sligo Connacht
  Tipperary Munster
  Waterford Munster
  Wexford Leinster
  Wicklow Leinster
All-Ireland JFC   Gloucestershire Britain
  Hertfordshire Britain
  Kilkenny Leinster
  Lancashire Britain
  London (2nd team) Britain
  New York (2nd Team) North America
  Scotland Britain
  USGAA North America
  Warwickshire Britain
  Yorkshire Britain

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "From Sam Maguire to Dr Maguire – St Eunan's and Naomh Conaill do battle in County Final". Donegal Daily. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012. 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.
  2. ^ "GAA Roll of Honour". Archived from the original on 11 August 2013.
  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. Retrieved 11 September 2019. 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.
  4. ^ 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. Retrieved 11 September 2019. 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. Curiously, 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.
  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. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  7. ^ "GAA hopes Hawk-Eye will eliminate contentious points". RTÉ Sport. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Hawkeye makes successful debut". Hogan Stand. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  9. ^ "Qualifiers include first ever Friday night game". RTÉ Sport. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013. Carlow will play Laois on 28 June in Dr Cullen Park, the first time a Championship game will take place on a Friday night.
  10. ^ "Two tier Football Championship format to be introduced". GAA.ie. 19 October 2019.
  11. ^ "GAA Special Congress 2019: The motions explained". GAA.ie. 19 October 2019.
  12. ^ "GAA". Archived from the original on 26 September 2007.
  13. ^ "'Super 8' system to replace Senior Football Championship quarter-finals after GAA vote". RTÉ Sport. 25 February 2017.
  14. ^ "All-Ireland football championship to be revamped in 2023 as Green Proposal passes Congress". the42.ie. 26 February 2022.
  15. ^ "New All Ireland SFC format to be adopted". gaa.ie. 26 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Dublin became a football force after the team went 'only Dubs need apply'". The independent. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Captain's log: the voyage that foundered before Dublin discovered route forward". irishtimes.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=All-Ireland_Senior_Football_Championship&oldid=1255743985"