2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Provincial Championships format

Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster each organise a provincial championship. Most teams who lose a match in their provincial championship enter the All-Ireland qualifiers – New York do not enter the qualifiers.^[2][3][4][5] All provincial matches are knock-out.

Qualifiers format

Twenty eight of the twenty nine teams beaten in the provincial championships enter the All-Ireland qualifiers, which are knockout. Sixteen of the seventeen teams (New York do not enter the qualifiers) eliminated before their provincial semi-finals play eight matches in round 1 of the qualifiers, with the winners of these games playing the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists in round 2. The eight winning teams from round 2 play-off against each other in round 3, with the four winning teams playing the four beaten provincial finalists in round 4. This completes the double-elimination format as the four round 4 winners re-enter the main competition at the All-Ireland quarter-final group stage. Further details of the format are included with each qualifier round listed below.

All-Ireland format

Significant changes to the format of the All-Ireland championship were made at the GAA's Annual Congress in February 2017 and introduced in 2018. The major change was the creation of the All-Ireland Super 8s, which replaced the quarter-finals. The top two teams from the two Super 8 groups of four teams contest the semi-finals. The All-Ireland final will be played by the 35th Sunday of the year.^[6] The changes will be trialled for three years before being reviewed by the GAA in late 2020.

Connacht Senior Football Championship

The Connacht county teams play London and New York on a rotational basis. The match involving New York is no longer a Preliminary Game as it was in the previous few years.

1/4 Finals May

Semi-Finals June

Connacht Final June

New York

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Mayo

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Leitrim

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Roscommon

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Sligo

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London

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Galway

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Leinster Senior Football Championship

The four teams who won the quarter-finals in the previous year are given byes to this year's quarter-finals. Six of the seven remaining teams play-off in the first round with the seventh team receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.

Preliminary Round

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Leinster Final

Dublin

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Louth

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Wexford

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Longford

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Wicklow

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Kildare

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Carlow

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Meath

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Offaly

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Westmeath

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Laois

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Munster Senior Football Championship

The two teams who won the semi-finals in the previous year are given byes to this year's semi-finals.

Quarter-Finals May

Semi-Finals June

Munster Final June

Cork

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Tipperary

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Limerick

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Kerry

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Clare

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Waterford

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Ulster Senior Football Championship

An un-seeded draw determines the fixtures for all nine teams.

Preliminary Round

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Ulster Senior Football Final

Cavan

Monaghan

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Down

Armagh

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Fermanagh

Donegal

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Antrim

Tyrone

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Derry

Qualifiers Format

The A and B split system for the qualifier draws introduced in 2014 has been discontinued. In rounds one to three, teams from divisions three and four of the National Football League will have home advantage if drawn against teams from divisions one and two.^[7]

Qualifiers Round 1

In the first round of the qualifiers sixteen of the seventeen teams beaten in the preliminary rounds or quarter-finals of the provincial championships compete. New York does not enter the qualifiers. The round 1 draw is unrestricted − if two teams have played each other in a provincial match they can be drawn to meet again. The eight winners of these matches play the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists in round 2 of the qualifiers.

The following teams take part in round 1 –

Qualifiers Round 2

In the second round of the qualifiers the eight winning teams from round 1 play the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists. The round 2 draw is unrestricted − if two teams have played each other in a provincial match they can be drawn to meet again. The eight winners of these matches play each other in round 3.

The following teams take part in round 2 –

Qualifiers Round 3

In the third round of the qualifiers the eight winning teams from round 2 play off in four matches. Round 3 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided. The four winners of these matches play the four beaten provincial finalists in round 4.

The following teams take part in round 3 –

Qualifiers Round 4

In the fourth round of the qualifiers, the four winning teams from round 3 play the four beaten provincial finalists. Round 4 draw rules do not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing can be avoided. The matches are normally held in neutral venues. The four winners of these matches play in the round robin All Ireland Super 8.

The following teams take part in round 4 –

All-Ireland Super 8

Format

The four provincial champions and the four winning teams from round four of the All-Ireland qualifiers play three games each in two groups of four teams during the months of July and August. Each group consists of two provincial champions and the two losing finalists of the other two provinces or the team that beats them in round four of the qualifiers.

In the first round (officially phase one) the two provincial champions play each other and the two round four qualifiers play each other in Croke Park. In rounds two and three (phases two and three) the provincial champions play the two qualifiers. In phase two the qualifiers have home advantage and the provincial winners are at home in phase three. Dublin, if they qualify, will also play their home game at Croke Park.^[8]

Two points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Tie-breaker

If only two teams are level on group points -

• The team that won the head-to-head match is ranked first
• If this game was a draw, score difference (total scored minus total conceded in all group games) is used to rank the teams
• If score difference is identical, total scored is used to rank the teams
• If still identical, a play-off is required

If three or more teams are level on group points, score difference is used to rank the teams.

All-Ireland Semi-Finals

The winners of Group 1 play the runners-up of Group 2. The winners of Group 2 play the runners-up of Group 1.

All-Ireland Final

The Central Competitions Control Committee of the GAA decided in October 2018 that, in future, the final should be played "by the 35th Sunday of the year". Traditionally the final was held on the third Sunday in September.