The Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup draws: all you need to know

On Tuesday, the All-Ireland Football Championships pick up pace with the draws for the round robin phase. It will be upon us sooner than you think. So what else is new?

IN THE HAT: The draws for the All-Ireland Senior Championship and Tailteann Cup will take place Tuesday at 3pm

So how is this going to work?

GAA president Jarlath Burns and director of games administration Feargal McGill will make the draw, which will broadcast live on GAA.ie and their social channels at 3pm on Tuesday.

Remind me of the seedings again.

Sam Maguire Cup – First or second seeds: Clare, Kerry, Galway, Mayo, Armagh, Donegal, Dublin, Louth. Third seeds: Derry, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tyrone. Fourth seeds: Cavan, Cork, Meath, Westmeath.

Tailteann Cup – First seeds: Down, Fermanagh, Kildare, Sligo. Second seeds: Antrim, Laois, Leitrim, Offaly. Third seeds: Limerick, Longford, Wexford, Wicklow. Fourth seeds: Carlow, Longford, Tipperary, Waterford.

How similar could it be to last year?

Galway and Kerry will be top seeds for the second year running if they win this weekend. Dublin will also be first should they beat Louth as they did in last year’s Leinster final. Armagh, Clare and Louth could be second seeds as they were in 2023. Roscommon, Tyrone and Monaghan are third seeds and Cork and Westmeath are fourth seeds as they all were 12 months ago.

Can repeat provincial clashes, like Kerry v Cork, happen?

Yes. Only provincial final pairings are avoided. Last year, Derry and Monaghan faced off in their group opener four weeks after they clashed in an Ulster semi-final. There were five weeks between the Dublin-Kildare Leinster semi-final and their second round group match.

What are the group stage dates?

The four group games involving the Connacht and Munster finalists (one game in each group, two seed 1s v two seed 3s and two seed 2s x two seed 4s) will take place on the weekend of May 18/19. The first round games involving the Leinster and Ulster finalists are staged on May 25/26 and on both weekends the first and second seeds will have home advantage. On June 1/2, all 16 teams will be in action, the four seed 3s at home to the four seed 2s and the four seed 4s on their own soil against the four seed 1s. The final round of the group stages will be at neutral venues (4 x seed 1 v seed 2, 4 x seed 3 v seed 4). The top team in each group goes straight through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals. Second and third-placed sides face off in preliminary quarter-finals in the hope of joining them in the last eight.

The Tailteann Cup is run along the same lines only it starts on May 11/12, their second round is May 18/19 and the round-robin phase concludes on June 1/2. New York enter the competition at the preliminary quarter-final stage with only the three best third-placed teams making the knock-out stages.

The one-week turnaround between Round 1 and 2 games for the Leinster and Ulster finalists seems harsh?

No argument with that but Croke Park have said so long as the provincial championship structures remain that’s the way it’s going to be. None of the four last year – Dublin, Louth, Derry and Armagh – won both of their opening Sam Maguire Cup games (only then Connacht champions Galway did).

Does circumstances suit any team in particular?

Whatever happens this or next weekend, at least Clare, Dublin and Galway know their next two games will be at home.

Is too early to anticipate a tasty encounter?

No, actually. On day one, Division 1 winners and 2022 and ’23 Ulster champions Derry will travel to face provincial victors. As fellow third seeds, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tyrone must do the same.

If three teams are tied on the same number of points, what score difference applies?

As is stated in the master fixtures, score difference for the entire group. Only in the Leinster senior hurling championship and in some county championships is score difference between the tied teams operable.