THE 2026 inter-county season is set to begin with a blockbuster Friday night McKenna Cup derby between Armagh and Tyrone on January 2 – but the GAA’s hopes of a Friday night league game later in the year are unlikely to come to fruition.
The complete fixture list is still to be nailed down but The Irish News understands that plans are in place for the neighbouring duo to face off in a unique Friday night fixture in the Box-It Athletic Grounds.
With Tyrone relegated to Division Two this year, it will act as their dress-rehearsal ahead of an already eagerly-awaited championship meeting.
Last Thursday evening’s championship draw paired the two together in the preliminary round of the Ulster SFC.
Donegal will also host Derry on the opening weekend, although that game is more likely to take place on either Saturday 3 or Sunday 4 January, with the hosts set to nominate Ballyshannon as their home venue for it while Ballybofey is unavailable.
GAA officials were understood to be keen on the idea of trialling a Friday night league game between neighbouring counties during the 2026 campaign.
The GPA has previously indicated that while they are not against the principle of the idea but that players should not be left out of pocket as a result of a weekday fixture.
Due to the stipulation that no games could take place before the New Year and that the National Leagues will begin on the weekend of January 24, the McKenna Cup will run on a tight schedule.
The dates are set to be as follows:
Game 1: Friday 2 – Sunday 4 January
Game 2: Wednesday 7 January
Game 3: Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 January
Semi-finals: Wednesday 14 January
Final: Saturday 17 January
Every team will play on two of the three group stage dates.
The teams slated to play on the weekend of January 11 could potentially face three games in six or seven days if they were to reach the final.
Derry, meanwhile, are still expected to host Antrim at Celtic Park in the summer.
It was confirmed last night that Derry City FC will use the GAA county ground for a number of home league games while they install a new hybrid grass pitch at the Brandywell next door.
The League of Ireland fixtures will be confirmed on December 16.
Celtic Park is Derry’s nominated home ground and it’s understood that no request has been lodged with Ulster GAA to alter that.
Owenbeg, which is set to host a number of the Oak Leafers’ home league games, has a capacity of just over 7,000 and would be a viable alternative to host the Antrim game.
MacCumhaill Park’s new pitch is not expected to be ready by the time Jim McGuinness’s side are due to host Down in their Ulster quarter-final, meaning it will almost certainly go to either Ballyshannon or Letterkenny.
Brewster Park is set for an upgrade ahead of the championship, with £420,000 set to be invested in installing new seats in the stand and a new toilet block.
Croke Park’s National Infrastructure Fund will give £134,000 towards the project, with Ulster GAA, Fermanagh GAA and Enniskillen Gaels contributing the rest between them.
Work is set to be complete “by late April”, which would create a bit of a race against time if Fermanagh’s championship game were to be against Armagh.
Fermanagh’s Brewster Park
They would be in line to host the 2024 All-Ireland champions if they were to come through the preliminary round.
However, if Tyrone were to win that game, their clash with Fermanagh would go to Healy Park.
Their home league games look likely to be played in Ederney.
Fermanagh’s clubs will vote at convention on whether to throw their weight behind the growing push to restore the All-Ireland minor finals as curtain raisers to the senior deciders.
A motion from the Tempo Maguires club is calling on the games to be reunited as a double-header at Croke Park on All-Ireland final days.