RTÉ ponder World Cup and All-Ireland clashes

RTÉ GAA panellists Jackie Tyrell and Ursula Jacob. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Next year’s All-Ireland senior hurling final 'Sunday Game' night-time show could be delayed because of the World Cup final.

RTÉ sources have confirmed the review programme will be impacted by coverage of the global decider from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which has an 8pm kick-off on July 19 (3pm local time).

RTÉ, who have broadcasting rights to the games in the US, could move the hurling show to RTÉ1 in the event that the World Cup final overruns and goes to extra-time and/or penalties.

Negotiations between RTÉ and the provincial councils about live 2026 championship coverage will take place over the coming weeks. The national broadcaster had delayed talks until ruling out the possibility of Ireland group games being fixed for Sundays should they qualify through March’s play-off system. Should Heimir Hallgrímsson’s team progress, the group games will take place on two Thursdays and a Friday.

GAA+ will release their schedule of games next month with a couple of Saturday Munster SHC fixtures set to be included once more. The Clare-Limerick and Waterford-Cork fixtures on the weekends of May 3 and 10 respectively could feature on the GAA’s streaming service.

RTÉ will likely request to show the Tipperary-Cork opener in Thurles, a repeat of this past season’s All-Ireland SHC final, on the weekend of April 19. The following week’s Cork-Limerick meeting in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh will also be of significant interest.

Promoting a cut-price subscription of €79 up to December 31 (€95 thereafter), GAA+ is promising approximately 40 championship games. The breakdown of their 40 fixtures last year was 32 football and eight hurling.

Should the GAA, as expected, disband the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals at February’s Congress, that will be one less hurling championship game streamed.

However, the football championship loses it group stages in 2026 and that will reduce each of the Sam Maguire Cup and Tailteann Cup series by eight games (35 to 27). It is hoped some Joe McDonagh Cup round matches could feature in GAA+’s scheduling in 2026.