Overview
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) is the premier inter-county Gaelic football competition in Ireland. First contested in 1887, it is one of the oldest sporting competitions in the world and the most prestigious prize in Irish sport.
Format (Current)
The championship features all 32 counties plus representatives from London and New York. The format has evolved over the years, with the current structure including:
- Provincial Championships: The four provinces (Connacht, Leinster, Munster, Ulster) hold their own knockout championships in the spring.
- Sam Maguire Cup (Group Stage): The top teams qualify for the All-Ireland group stage, competing in round-robin groups.
- All-Ireland Knockout Series: Quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final at Croke Park in July/August.
- Tailteann Cup: A secondary competition for teams eliminated early from the provincial championships.
The Sam Maguire Cup
The Sam Maguire Cup is the trophy awarded to the All-Ireland champions. Named after Sam Maguire, a Corkman and prominent Gaelic footballer, it is one of the most recognisable trophies in sport. Kerry hold the record for most titles with 38, followed by Dublin (31) and Galway (9).
History & Traditions
Kerry and Dublin have dominated the championship historically. The Kerry-Dublin rivalry is one of the great fixtures in sport, with epic finals in 1978, 1979, 2011, 2019, and 2023. Other traditional powerhouses include Cork, Meath, Tyrone, and Galway.
Betting on the Football Championship
GAA betting is popular throughout the championship season. Common markets include:
- Outright winner: Back a county to win the Sam Maguire at the start of the season.
- Match betting: Standard win/draw/lose markets for individual games.
- Handicap betting: Bookmakers offer points handicaps on one-sided matches.
- Top scorer: Bet on the player who scores the most over the championship.
- Provincial winners: Bet on which county wins each provincial championship.
When betting on Gaelic football, consider factors such as home advantage, recent form in the National League, and key injuries. Dublin's depth, Kerry's tradition, and the growing strength of northern counties like Tyrone and Derry all affect the odds.
Gamble responsibly.
Mayo End 75 Years of Hurt: The 2026 Final
The 2026 All-Ireland football final was one of the most emotional days in GAA history. On 26 July 2026 at Croke Park, Mayo beat Kerry to win the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time since 1951 — a 75-year wait that had become part of the county's identity. Captain Jack Coyne, from Ballyhaunis, lifted the cup in front of a packed Croke Park, with first-year manager Andy Moran masterminding the win. Mayo's four All-Ireland titles now span 1936, 1950, 1951 and 2026.
The match itself was a contest worthy of the occasion, with the two teams trading scores deep into the second half before Mayo pulled clear. For neutrals it was a reminder of why Gaelic football finals regularly draw crowds above 80,000: the emotion, the skill and the sheer unpredictability of knockout football.
How the Modern Championship Works
Since the format was revised, the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship brings 16 teams into the group stages: the four provincial champions, the four beaten provincial finalists, the previous year's Tailteann Cup winner, and the seven next-ranked teams based on their National Football League position. The teams are drawn into groups, with the top sides advancing to the knockout quarter-finals, then semi-finals and the final on the third Sunday of July.
Two rules now shape how the game is played. The two-point score (a point struck from outside the 40-metre arc) rewards long-range shooting, and the advanced mark rewards accurate kick-passing inside the 20-metre line. Between them they have made modern finals higher-scoring and more attacking than the defensive slugfests of the 2010s.
Kerry's 2025 Triumph and the Teams to Watch
Kerry came into 2026 as defending champions after beating Donegal 1-26 to 0-19 in the 2025 final — a 39th title built on a stunning first-half display that included four two-pointers, with talisman David Clifford scoring 0-9. Donegal, chasing a first title since 2012, pushed hard in the second half but could not close the gap.
Beyond Kerry and Mayo, the modern era's big powers are Dublin (winners in 2011, 2013, 2015–2020 and 2023), Tyrone (2021) and Armagh (2024). The championship's group format means no county can coast: every team plays meaningful games deep into the summer, and the Tailteann Cup — won by Kildare in 2025 and by Wicklow in 2026 — gives the next tier of counties a national final of their own at Croke Park.