Cork and Kerry will know Sam Maguire Round 1 opponents on Monday regardless of Munster final outcome

Cork and Kerry can face any of the eight teams on the league qualifying/Tailteann Cup winners side.

Colm O'Callaghan of Cork in action against Jason Foley of Kerry. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

The outcome of the forthcoming senior provincial football finals are not being taken into consideration in Bank Holiday Monday’s Sam Maguire Cup draw, which takes place live on GAA+.

Cork and Kerry will be drawn as such and not Munster winners and runners-up. Therefore, the identity of their Sam Maguire Cup opponents will have no impact on their clash in Killarney nor those of the other six counties involved in upcoming provincial finals.

Each of Cork and Kerry will simply be drawn against one of the league qualifiers or Tailteann Cup winners Kildare should they fail to beat Westmeath in Sunday’s Leinster SFC semi-final.

The same applies to all of the provincial finalists, who will have home advantage in Round 1 of the All-Ireland SFC, which is organised over two weekends.

Cork and Kerry can face any of the eight teams on the non-provincial side of the draw. Having failed to reach their respective provincial finals, Donegal, Mayo, Meath and Tyrone will be drawn in the second pot. 

The other four berths will be filled by the losers of this weekend’s Leinster and Ulster semi-finalists or Cavan.

Should Down and Westmeath beat Armagh and Kildare on Sunday, they will qualify for the Sam Maguire Cup and Cavan will enter the Tailteann Cup where they will face Leitrim in Round 1.

In the event Down win and Westmeath lose, Cavan will be in the top 16 and Westmeath will meet Leitrim in the second tier.

If Down lose and Westmeath win, the roles will be reversed. Should both counties miss out on their provincial finals, The Mourne County will play in the Sam Maguire Cup as they finished ahead of Westmeath in Division 3.

Both Cork and Kerry have home advantage in their first-round games on May 23/24 as will Galway and Roscommon as Connacht SFC finalists. The following weekend, the top two in both Leinster and Ulster will have home advantage.

Depending on the draw, Cork’s footballers’ Round 1 game may yet be added to the Cork-Clare Munster SHC final round game in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday, May 24.

The county board have already confirmed that should Cork be given home advantage in a third round game on June 20/21 it will be staged in Páirc Uí Rinn as Zach Bryan concerts take place in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on those dates.

Cork and Kerry will then have a three-week break to their second round game on June 13/14, irrespective of whether they are on the winners’ or losers’ side of the draw.

The Round 1 winners will face off in Round 2A where the four victors will qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-finals on June 27/28. The Round 2A losers will face off against the Round 2B winners in Round 3, which is effectively All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals, on June 20/21.

At the request of counties for planning and logistical purposes, the draw has been brought forward prior to the conclusion of the provincial championships. Hotel costs are among the reasons why counties want to know their fate earlier than usual.