Old rivals Armagh and Tyrone will get the 2026 Dr McKenna Cup underway when they meet on Friday, January 2.

The tasty local derby, which is a dress rehearsal for their Ulster SFC preliminary round clash in April, will take place under lights at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds at 7pm.

Each of the nine Ulster counties will play three rounds of group games within seven days, with the semi-final scheduled for Wednesday, January 14 and the final for Saturday, January 17.  The pre-season football competition - which celebrates its centenary in 2026 - returns after not being staged earlier this year due to concerns over fixture congestion and player welfare.

2026 Dr McKenna Cup fixtures:

Round One: Friday 2 January: Armagh v Tyrone (BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 19:00 GMT), Saturday 3 January: Cavan v Monaghan (Kingspan Breffni, 18:00), Sunday 4 January: Donegal v Derry (Letterkenny 13:30).

Round Two: Wednesday 7 January, 19:30 GMT: Down v Armagh (Páirc Esler), Fermanagh v Cavan (Tempo), Derry v Antrim (Owenbeg).

Round Three: Sunday 11 January, 13:30 GMT: Tyrone v Down (Tyrone venue), Monaghan v Fermanagh (Castleblayney), Antrim v Donegal (Cargin).

Semi-finals - Wednesday 14 January.

Final - Saturday 17 January.

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