GAA announce decision on All-Ireland Football Championship draw

Mayo GAA manager Andy Moran and his team will keep a close eye on the draw for the first round of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

Even though Mayo were defeated by Roscommon in the Connacht Championship semi-final, the men in green and red had already qualified for the All-Ireland competition thanks to their high league ranking in Division One of the National Football League campaign.

Now, in their race for the Sam Maguire Cup, Mayo will definitely have to travel in the first round. Andy Moran’s men will be pitted against any of the eight provincial finalists.

And the GAA has now announced the date for the draw:

The draw for Round 1 of the 2026 GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship will take place on Monday, May 4, and will be broadcast live as part of The View on GAA+, beginning at 1pm.

Viewers can watch the draw live and free on the GAA+ YouTube channel, as well as across the GAA’s official social media platforms: Here.

The draw will be conducted by Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns and Brian Carroll, Chairperson of the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC).

The Round 1 draw will feature the eight provincial finalists, who will be drawn against the eight highest‑ranked teams at the conclusion of the National Football League.

Exception: Kildare, as 2025 Tailteann Cup winners, will be included in the draw should they fail to reach the Leinster Provincial Final, in which case they will replace the lowest‑ranked League team.

Teams taking part in the draw will be confirmed following the weekend’s results.

The draw will be an open draw, with a total of eight Round 1 ties. The provincial finalists will enjoy home advantage in their respective fixtures.

Munster and Connacht provincial finalists will play their Round 1 games on
May 23–24.

Ulster and Leinster provincial finalists will play their Round 1 games on May
30–31.

The full schedule for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship:

All-Ireland Championship
Round 1 (Eight Games)
23-24.05.2026 (Sat/Sun) & 30-31.05.2026 (Sat/Sun) *
The eight Provincial Champions and Runners-Up shall be drawn to play at Home against the eight teams in (b) above.
*The finalist from the Munster & Connacht Provincial Finals will play their Round 1 games on the 23-24.05.2026, and the finalist from Ulster & Leinster will play their Round 1 games on the 30-31.05.2026.

Round 2A (Four Games)
13-14.06.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The eight winners in Round 1 shall be drawn to play against each other in Round 2a, with the first team drawn having Home Venue. The draw will be subject to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final pairings.

Round 2B (Four Games)
13-14.06.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The eight Losers in Round 1 shall be drawn to play against each other in Round 2, with
the first team drawn having Home Venue. The draw will be subject to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final pairings.

Round 3 (Four Games)
20-21.06.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The four losing teams from Round 2a will be drawn to play the four winning teams from Round 2b, and a draw shall determine the Home Venue for each pairing. The draw will be subject in the first instance to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final
pairings and, where possible, repeat pairings from Round 1.

All-Ireland Quarter-Finals
27-28.06.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The four winners of Round 2a shall be drawn to play against the four winners of Round 3, subject in the first instance to the avoidance of repeat Provincial Final pairings and where possible repeat pairings from Rounds 1 and 2.

All-Ireland Semi-Finals
11-12.07.2026 (Sat/Sun)
The four quarter-final winners shall play against each other in the Semi-Finals based on a draw, subject to the avoidance of repeat pairings from the championship, where possible.

All-Ireland Final
26-07.2026 (Sun) (Replay 08.08.2026 (Sat)
The winners of the All-Ireland Semi-Finals shall meet in the All-Ireland Final.

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