Tyrone in the Tailteann could be tremendous fun
Tailteann Cup 2026
Round 1 Draw
Fermanagh vs Longford
Laois vs Wicklow
Clare vs Offaly
Carlow vs Antrim
Wexford vs Limerick
Team 16* vs Leitrim
Sligo vs Tipperary
Waterford vs London
*Westmeath/Down/Cavan
Laois Wicklow, we go again
A bastard of a draw. Could hardly have been worse.
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No easy games
When you’re 31st in the pecking order there’s surely no puddings out there. Still well put it up to SO, Tipp, LK, WX, Ldn or WD. Just the opener (away) against who’ll be the favourites is a daunting start….
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Tis grand. There’s alway the backdoor
The Tara Towers Cup - The Revolution Years
The competition ‘could do with’ fermanagh longford Wicklow Carlow Antrim leitrim or sligo winning it.
You prick of a man.
What’s the format this year?
Losers play losers is it?
Is it neutral venues or is first team at home.
I wouldn’t mind a trip to Wexford
The championship has abandoned groups in favour of a straight knock out system with a back door.
17 teams compete but New York do not enter until Round 4 which slightly complicates things.
But essentially, the eight winners from Round 1 advance to Round 2A and the eight losers go to Round 2B.
Three of the four winners in Round 2A advance to the quarter finals while the fourth, following a random draw, will have to play New York in Round 4.
The losers of the Round 2B games will have been defeated twice and will be eliminated.
While the four Round 2B winners plus the four Round 2A losers will compete in Round 3.
The four winners here, the winners of the game involving New York and the three winners from Round 2A will make up the quarter finals.
The majority of the Round 1 fixtures will be played on the weekend of May 9/10.
However, any games involving a team knocked out of their provincial championship on the weekend of May 2/3 will take place on the weekend of May 16/17.
Round 2 is scheduled for May 23/24 while Round 3 and 4 are down for June 6/7.
The quarter final is June 13/14 and the semi final is June 20/21 with the final scheduled for July 11.
ROUND 1
- Fermanagh v Longford
- Laois v Wicklow
- Clare v Offaly
- Carlow v Antrim
- Wexford v Limerick
- Westmeath/Down/Cavan v Leitrim
- Sligo v Tipperary
- Waterford v London
You have to admire the GAA, it would be very easy to complicate that.
Round 1 winners drawn to play each other in Round 2A,
Round 1 losers drawn to play each other for backdoor game against the losers of the Round 2A games.
There’s a prelim home 1/4 final then against New York and then straight run off for whoever is left in it
Wexford Limerick must be sick of the sight of each other
That’s the format every year.
Surely be more prick if I had ye in the list
There was that too.
Ya prick.
I think they’ve actually landed on a great system. Although I preferred the roundy robins because of the guaranteed home match. Was just about to ‘bed in’ too. Tailteann winner into Sam the next year, league being linked to championship and everyone getting a chance to play in Sam by reaching a provincial final mean it’s just a really good well integrated system. Leave it as is now and let people get used to it.
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The Laois SFC has worked on a back door for years and its a great system.
Which is why we are doing away it
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