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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

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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: 4761 - 02/06/2026 15:30:42    2677366

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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

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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

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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: 990 - 02/06/2026 15:56:13    2677375

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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: 2716 - 02/06/2026 16:45:29    2677384

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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: 2716 - 02/06/2026 16:56:15    2677386

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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

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