All-Ireland Series Sam Maguire 2026

[Manning18]

GAA is rare in that it runs off its main competition in so few games. Of the 16 Sam Maguire teams they'll average about 4-5 outings each, with the finalists getting 7-9 . Compare that with Soccer leagues (30-40), NFL (17 minimum), NBA (82 min) etc.

People will mention the national league, but until something radical changes either in structure or GAA psyche, the league will remain little more than a warm-up competition.

Personally id love if the championship season was much bigger and longer. I'll concede though that attendances were relatively poor for those group stage games, so perhaps that isn't the popular public view. What they've come up with is a decent compromise imo

I'll never understand anyone wanting a return to straight knockout, or anything close to it.
1) You're asking your counties players to train for 9 months, for what may be one solitary outing.
2) How can you dislike top level football enough to potentially watch your team play 1 game of football all summer, all in the name of "jeopardy"?

Fcuk jeopardy. The more football the better

[JollyGreenGiant]

GAA is rare in that it runs off its main competition in so few games. Of the 16 Sam Maguire teams they'll average about 4-5 outings each, with the finalists getting 7-9 . Compare that with Soccer leagues (30-40), NFL (17 minimum), NBA (82 min) etc.

People will mention the national league, but until something radical changes either in structure or GAA psyche, the league will remain little more than a warm-up competition.

Personally id love if the championship season was much bigger and longer. I'll concede though that attendances were relatively poor for those group stage games, so perhaps that isn't the popular public view. What they've come up with is a decent compromise imo

I'll never understand anyone wanting a return to straight knockout, or anything close to it.
1) You're asking your counties players to train for 9 months, for what may be one solitary outing.
2) How can you dislike top level football enough to potentially watch your team play 1 game of football all summer, all in the name of "jeopardy"?

Fcuk jeopardy. The more football the better

Easy. First, it enhances the excitement factor of games. Second, county teams also train for the League (the fact that a culture of irrelevance has been applied to it is not a reason to ignore it). Third, it provides for a more open competition where a "giant killing" can lead to greater rewards as opposed to further rounds before you meet a Kerry who beat you.

There remains plenty of football if the fan is interested and having one extra game (for some counties) isn't going to make a blind bit of difference.

[RedHand88]

GAA is rare in that it runs off its main competition in so few games. Of the 16 Sam Maguire teams they'll average about 4-5 outings each, with the finalists getting 7-9 . Compare that with Soccer leagues (30-40), NFL (17 minimum), NBA (82 min) etc.

People will mention the national league, but until something radical changes either in structure or GAA psyche, the league will remain little more than a warm-up competition.

Personally id love if the championship season was much bigger and longer. I'll concede though that attendances were relatively poor for those group stage games, so perhaps that isn't the popular public view. What they've come up with is a decent compromise imo

I'll never understand anyone wanting a return to straight knockout, or anything close to it.
1) You're asking your counties players to train for 9 months, for what may be one solitary outing.
2) How can you dislike top level football enough to potentially watch your team play 1 game of football all summer, all in the name of "jeopardy"?

Fcuk jeopardy. The more football the better

I've always said this. Under the original straight knockout system, 16 teams only had 1 championship game a year, 8 teams had 2.

For those of us old enough to remember, half of Ireland their county had 1 championship game in the early summer and that was it all over.
Its no way to promote a brand or competition at all.

[J70]

GAA is rare in that it runs off its main competition in so few games. Of the 16 Sam Maguire teams they'll average about 4-5 outings each, with the finalists getting 7-9 . Compare that with Soccer leagues (30-40), NFL (17 minimum), NBA (82 min) etc.

People will mention the national league, but until something radical changes either in structure or GAA psyche, the league will remain little more than a warm-up competition.

Personally id love if the championship season was much bigger and longer. I'll concede though that attendances were relatively poor for those group stage games, so perhaps that isn't the popular public view. What they've come up with is a decent compromise imo

I'll never understand anyone wanting a return to straight knockout, or anything close to it.
1) You're asking your counties players to train for 9 months, for what may be one solitary outing.
2) How can you dislike top level football enough to potentially watch your team play 1 game of football all summer, all in the name of "jeopardy"?

Fcuk jeopardy. The more football the better

I've always said this. Under the original straight knockout system, 16 teams only had 1 championship game a year, 8 teams had 2.

For those of us old enough to remember, half of Ireland their county had 1 championship game in the early summer and that was it all over.
Its no way to promote a brand or competition at all.

I'm sure there are many men who were very fine footballers in their day from weaker counties who were lucky if they accumulated a total of 10-15 championship matches over their entire careers.

Declan Browne, an elite level corner forward, played 25 championship matches for Tipperary, and that is with the second half of his career falling in the era of the qualifier system. He'd be a leading star of the game if he played today given the greater exposure afforded by the expanded intercounty set up.

The idea of going back to one-and-done is absolute madness.

[JollyGreenGiant]

GAA is rare in that it runs off its main competition in so few games. Of the 16 Sam Maguire teams they'll average about 4-5 outings each, with the finalists getting 7-9 . Compare that with Soccer leagues (30-40), NFL (17 minimum), NBA (82 min) etc.

People will mention the national league, but until something radical changes either in structure or GAA psyche, the league will remain little more than a warm-up competition.

Personally id love if the championship season was much bigger and longer. I'll concede though that attendances were relatively poor for those group stage games, so perhaps that isn't the popular public view. What they've come up with is a decent compromise imo

I'll never understand anyone wanting a return to straight knockout, or anything close to it.
1) You're asking your counties players to train for 9 months, for what may be one solitary outing.
2) How can you dislike top level football enough to potentially watch your team play 1 game of football all summer, all in the name of "jeopardy"?

Fcuk jeopardy. The more football the better

I've always said this. Under the original straight knockout system, 16 teams only had 1 championship game a year, 8 teams had 2.

For those of us old enough to remember, half of Ireland their county had 1 championship game in the early summer and that was it all over.
Its no way to promote a brand or competition at all.

And yet some of the most famous games happened under that system. Down v Derry in 1994 springs to mind. Tailteann Park used be wedged for the early games in the Leinster Championship. Perhaps unfortunate, but it was also good exposure for just how competitive and do-or-die the competition was. As a supporter you just got on with it if your county went out in June.

[AustinPowers]

GAA is rare in that it runs off its main competition in so few games. Of the 16 Sam Maguire teams they'll average about 4-5 outings each, with the finalists getting 7-9 . Compare that with Soccer leagues (30-40), NFL (17 minimum), NBA (82 min) etc.

People will mention the national league, but until something radical changes either in structure or GAA psyche, the league will remain little more than a warm-up competition.

Personally id love if the championship season was much bigger and longer. I'll concede though that attendances were relatively poor for those group stage games, so perhaps that isn't the popular public view. What they've come up with is a decent compromise imo

I'll never understand anyone wanting a return to straight knockout, or anything close to it.
1) You're asking your counties players to train for 9 months, for what may be one solitary outing.
2) How can you dislike top level football enough to potentially watch your team play 1 game of football all summer, all in the name of "jeopardy"?

Fcuk jeopardy. The more football the better

I've always said this. Under the original straight knockout system, 16 teams only had 1 championship game a year, 8 teams had 2.

For those of us old enough to remember, half of Ireland their county had 1 championship game in the early summer and that was it all over.
Its no way to promote a brand or competition at all.

I'm sure there are many men who were very fine footballers in their day from weaker counties who were lucky if they accumulated a total of 10-15 championship matches over their entire careers.

Declan Browne, an elite level corner forward, played 25 championship matches for Tipperary, and that is with the second half of his career falling in the era of the qualifier system. He'd be a leading star of the game if he played today given the greater exposure afforded by the expanded intercounty set up.

The idea of going back to one-and-done is absolute madness.

What "expanded intercounty setup"?

Tipperary are in  Division 4, and play in the Tailteann cup. How much exposure do they (or Leitrim/Waterford  etc) normally get?  20 seconds highlights on RTE Maybe?

An open  championship draw, as suggested earlier, and a good championship run/favourable draw,  would do wonders for exposure of such players.  Being stuck in the Tailteann cup  won't .

[AustinPowers]

GAA is rare in that it runs off its main competition in so few games. Of the 16 Sam Maguire teams they'll average about 4-5 outings each, with the finalists getting 7-9 . Compare that with Soccer leagues (30-40), NFL (17 minimum), NBA (82 min) etc.

People will mention the national league, but until something radical changes either in structure or GAA psyche, the league will remain little more than a warm-up competition.

Personally id love if the championship season was much bigger and longer. I'll concede though that attendances were relatively poor for those group stage games, so perhaps that isn't the popular public view. What they've come up with is a decent compromise imo

I'll never understand anyone wanting a return to straight knockout, or anything close to it.
1) You're asking your counties players to train for 9 months, for what may be one solitary outing.
2) How can you dislike top level football enough to potentially watch your team play 1 game of football all summer, all in the name of "jeopardy"?

Fcuk jeopardy. The more football the better

I've always said this. Under the original straight knockout system, 16 teams only had 1 championship game a year, 8 teams had 2.

For those of us old enough to remember, half of Ireland their county had 1 championship game in the early summer and that was it all over.
Its no way to promote a brand or competition at all.

And yet some of the most famous games happened under that system. Down v Derry in 1994 springs to mind. Tailteann Park used be wedged for the early games in the Leinster Championship. Perhaps unfortunate, but it was also good exposure for just how competitive and do-or-die the competition was. As a supporter you just got on with it if your county went out in June.

Don't forget Meath v  Dublin in 1991.

At least when Meath  overcame Dublin , and Down overcame Derry , they knew  the team they defeated was gone. The path  was clearing. Now, you could beat a big team  and you know  you'll probably be meeting them  again in a few weeks .

Cork beat Kerry  a few times in Munster , but  could just never get over them later on.

[Armagh18]

Imagine the buzz around Kerry/Donegal next week if it was do or die. Realistically if you're beat twice your year should probably be over, but Donegal know they can afford to lose, obviously wouldn't be good for them but not a total disaster.

[Rossfan]

Teams playing 23/24 May will have a 3 week wait for Round 2A/B.
Then possibly 3 games in 3 weekends.

Meanwhile Cork to play Meath and any subsequent home games in Páirc Uí Rinn.

GAA+ to show Kerry/Donegal and Meath/Cork on Saturday 23rd.
Presumably Ros and Galway games on the Sunday?

[Main Street]

Provincials are dead. Time to be innovative and have a new structure.

wise up.

Exactly, Clones will be sold out on final day and hopefully a competitive final that has the crowd on tenterhooks.  But hypothetically, if Brannigan was given a choice of beating either Mayo and progressing to the next phase  (with all that jeopardy and likely elimination on or before semi final) or Armagh, who might he choose?

[Armagh18]

Provincials are dead. Time to be innovative and have a new structure.

wise up.

Exactly, Clones will be sold out on final day and hopefully a competitive final that has the crowd on tenterhooks.  But hypothetically, if Brannigan was given a choice of beating either Mayo or Armagh, who would he choose?

Armagh. Not even close.

[Captain Obvious]

Provincials are dead. Time to be innovative and have a new structure.

Trying to be innovative and having new structures has been tried often now. 

Why will the upcoming Ulster,Connacht finals be close to sell outs and Kerry v Cork final have a healthy crowd also if dead? 

[Main Street]

Provincials are dead. Time to be innovative and have a new structure.

wise up.

Exactly, Clones will be sold out on final day and hopefully a competitive final that has the crowd on tenterhooks.  But hypothetically, if Brannigan was given a choice of beating either Mayo or Armagh, who would he choose?

Armagh. Not even close.

We have beaten Armagh in the championship, beating Mayo would be an elevation of sorts.

[Wildweasel74]

Why, is a Ulster title not worth sthing, only 1 team can win a All-Ireland, u get nothing for getting to a semi or final and losing, as you would know.

[thejuice]

I think the group stage that we had last season was grand. The only change I would have is that only 2 from each group go through instead of 3.