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Football Championship 2026

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Replying To Cumann1: "The majority of GAA people and the bookies would see it differently. League is a different kettle of fish" Per chance would the majority of GAA people and bookies be based in Mayo? ColmFlaherty (Galway) - Posts: 80 - 02/06/2026 15:19:59 2677360 Link
Replying To eddieSize5Balls: "Best structure there has ever been. Can't please everyone. Every format has flaws but this so far has been the best iteration. There will be some shocks in these games by the way." If my team could bate Kerry by 13 pts at a div1 league final in Croker, and follow that with a 10pt win in Killarney in the championship in May, I'd be enthusiastic about competition structures too. Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4764 - 02/06/2026 15:30:42 2677366 Link
Replying To ColmFlaherty: "Per chance would the majority of GAA people and bookies be based in Mayo?" No I'm on the road for work and I talk to a lot of GAA people, no-one has said Galway will win Sam. Bookies giving pretty much the same odds throughout the country Cumann1 (Mayo) - Posts: 155 - 02/06/2026 15:31:57 2677367 Link
Replying To M Lyster: "The Championship has felt like shadow-boxing so far so I was looking forward to finally getting some knockout matches in round 2B. But that draw's a little underwhelming, Monaghan v Rossies the only one hard to call. The round 2A draw is a bit more intriguing despite not being knockout. I expect there'll be debate about the structure again if one of the round 2A winners gets knocked out in the QF without getting a second chance." I think if you get the quickest route to a QF and have the advantage of the break then getting no 2nd chance at that stage is not so much an issue. No 2nd chance is more a problem when a team has only played 1 or 2 championship games imo, for some counties that leave little to no room to build experience of playing at championshop inensity and results in players from struggling counties not coming back the following year as they see no reward for the winter training and hard slog of the league. The current format means a team that qualifies for the All Ireland series is guaranteed 3 championshop games, either Provinicial or All Ire Series, and if they win a game at all its a minimum of 4. I think thats fair. JimB1991 (Donegal) - Posts: 185 - 02/06/2026 15:37:15 2677369 Link
Replying To M Lyster: "The Championship has felt like shadow-boxing so far so I was looking forward to finally getting some knockout matches in round 2B. But that draw's a little underwhelming, Monaghan v Rossies the only one hard to call. The round 2A draw is a bit more intriguing despite not being knockout. I expect there'll be debate about the structure again if one of the round 2A winners gets knocked out in the QF without getting a second chance." Absolute nonsense. You think Kerry v Donegal, Westmeath v Cavan, Dublin v Louth, Meath v Cork and Monagan v Mayo were shadow boxing? Some of the lesser know teams like Westmeath and Louth have real chances to get to a quarter final. That's what Championship is all about? So called big teams can now be drawn against each other and don't get handy runs to quarter finals anymore which is great for the neutrals. Scenicparish (Donegal) - Posts: 991 - 02/06/2026 15:56:13 2677375 Link
Replying To Scenicparish: "Absolute nonsense. You think Kerry v Donegal, Westmeath v Cavan, Dublin v Louth, Meath v Cork and Monagan v Mayo were shadow boxing? Some of the lesser know teams like Westmeath and Louth have real chances to get to a quarter final. That's what Championship is all about? So called big teams can now be drawn against each other and don't get handy runs to quarter finals anymore which is great for the neutrals." Exactly why I'm behind this new format, it's more open and fair. Teams have to up their game a lot earlier than semi final or quarter final stage. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2718 - 02/06/2026 16:45:29 2677384 Link
Replying To Scenicparish: "Absolute nonsense. You think Kerry v Donegal, Westmeath v Cavan, Dublin v Louth, Meath v Cork and Monagan v Mayo were shadow boxing? Some of the lesser know teams like Westmeath and Louth have real chances to get to a quarter final. That's what Championship is all about? So called big teams can now be drawn against each other and don't get handy runs to quarter finals anymore which is great for the neutrals." Exactly why I'm behind this new format, it's more open and fair. Teams have to up their game a lot earlier than semi final or quarter final stage. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2718 - 02/06/2026 16:56:15 2677386 Link
Replying To Saynothing: "Exactly why I'm behind this new format, it's more open and fair. Teams have to up their game a lot earlier than semi final or quarter final stage." But they dont! A team can lose twice early on and still win the All Ireland. brayballer (Wicklow) - Posts: 656 - 02/06/2026 17:04:52 2677393 Link
Never really understood the no second chance argument, the back door system was always about giving you 2 ways to the qf, if you get there without losing how is that a gripe? joeteor (Donegal) - Posts: 270 - 02/06/2026 17:41:07 2677403 Link
Replying To brayballer: "But they dont! A team can lose twice early on and still win the All Ireland." You knew your teams in the group though and how many points needed to get out of the group or a quarter final playoff. In this format you don't want to run the risk of losing and drawing a much better team in the next round. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8600 - 02/06/2026 18:08:32 2677415 Link
Replying To brayballer: "But they dont! A team can lose twice early on and still win the All Ireland." I'm not criticising the current system, but you can get a soft run to a qfinal too, as Galway may prove in 2026. If we assume that the top16 teams in the country are those playing div1 and div2 football in the spring of 2027, and if Galway beat Westmeath this month, then Galway will reach the 2026 qfinals without having beaten any of those top 16 teams. As Kerry proved last season, it's how you play the qfinal, sfinal and final that wins allirelands though, it's not at all about how you play, or who you beat, to reach the last8 qfinals. Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4764 - 02/06/2026 18:22:08 2677424 Link
Replying To brayballer: "But they dont! A team can lose twice early on and still win the All Ireland." Dublin can still win the All Ireland. I thought Dublin was the team you were supporting? You need to make up your mind, is it Wicklow or Dublin? Scenicparish (Donegal) - Posts: 991 - 02/06/2026 18:25:08 2677426 Link
Replying To brayballer: "But they dont! A team can lose twice early on and still win the All Ireland." So what? Teams win WC in rugby and soccer and CL in soccer having lost matches. The teams that win the biggest games when it's all on the line become champions. What do you want to go back to? 1970s straight knockout?? Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 2655 - 02/06/2026 18:44:11 2677433 Link
Replying To brayballer: "But they dont! A team can lose twice early on and still win the All Ireland." If a team loses twice in the All Ireland series they are out, the Provincals are a different competition. tireoghainabu (Tyrone) - Posts: 475 - 02/06/2026 19:07:35 2677439 Link
Replying To Saynothing: "Exactly why I'm behind this new format, it's more open and fair. Teams have to up their game a lot earlier than semi final or quarter final stage." But not Galway Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 612 - 02/06/2026 20:40:16 2677442 Link
Replying To brayballer: "But they dont! A team can lose twice early on and still win the All Ireland." So what? Teams win WC in rugby and soccer and CL in soccer having lost matches. The teams that win the biggest games when it's all on the line become champions. What do you want to go back to? 1970s straight knockout?? Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 2655 - 02/06/2026 20:52:32 2677445 Link
Replying To brayballer: "But they dont! A team can lose twice early on and still win the All Ireland." They can only lose once when the All Ireland series starts. Provincial matches aren't part of All Ireland series. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2718 - 02/06/2026 22:27:54 2677463 Link