2026 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Championship details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 April — 19 July 2026[1] |
| Teams | 11 (All-Ireland) 36 (overall) |
| All-Ireland champions | |
| Provincial champions | |
| Munster | Not Played |
| Leinster | Not Played |
| Ulster | Not Played |
| Connacht | Not Played |
| Championship statistics | |
| All-Star Team | See here |
← 2025 2027 → | |
The 2026 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (SHC) is the 139th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament, since its establishment in 1887.
Tipperary enter the competition as the defending champion, having won a first All-Ireland SHC title since 2019.[2] They are seeking back-to-back All-Ireland titles for the first time since 1965.[3]
Limerick (winners in 2018 and in 2020–23) are considered one of the major contenders after winning the 2026 National Hurling League. Cork are also one of the favourites; the team finished as runner-up in the previous edition of the competition and runner-up in the 2026 National Hurling League, but have not won an All-Ireland SHC title since 2005.
Kildare, winners of the 2025 Joe McDonagh Cup, play in the Leinster SHC for the first time since 2004, and will play their first-ever senior All-Ireland game against Kilkenny.[4][5]
The final will be played on 19 July at Croke Park in Dublin.
Leinster Championship
Participating counties (6)
Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Offaly, Wexford
Group stage (15 matches)
Each team play each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advance to the Leinster SHC final and the 3rd placed team advances to the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals. All other teams are eliminated from the championship and the bottom placed team is relegated to the following year's Joe McDonagh Cup.
Final (1 match)
The top 2 teams in the group stage contest this game. The Leinster champions advance to the All-Ireland SHC semi-finals and the Leinster runners-up advanced to the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals.
Munster Championship
Participating counties (5)
Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford
Group stage (10 matches)
Each team played each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advanced to the Munster SHC final and the 3rd placed team advanced to the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals.
Final (1 match)
The top 2 teams in the group stage contested this game. The Munster champions advanced to the All-Ireland SHC semi-finals and the Munster runners-up advanced to the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals.
All-Ireland Championship
Unlike previous years the two Joe McDonagh Cup finalists won't advance to preliminary quarter-finals, with the two fixtures being scrapped after the 2026 GAA Congress.[6]
Quarter-finals (2 matches)
The Munster runners-up will play the third-placed team in Leinster and the Leinster runners-up will play the third-placed team in Munster. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals (2 matches)
The winners of the quarter-finals join the Leinster and Munster champions to make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate semi-finals where possible. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.
Final (1 match)
The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game.
Team changes
From Championship
Relegated to Joe McDonagh Cup
Removal of Preliminary Quarter-Finals[6]
Relegated to Christy Ring Cup
Teams
General information
Eleven counties compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: six teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and five teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.
| County | Last provincial title | Last championship title | Position in 2025 Championship | Current championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Clare |
1998 | 2024 | 4th in Munster SHC | Munster SHC |
 Cork |
2025 | 2005 | Finalists | Munster SHC |
 Dublin |
2013 | 1938 | Semi-finals | Leinster SHC |
 Galway |
2018 | 2017 | Quarter-finals | Leinster SHC |
 Kildare |
— | — | Joe McDonagh Cup winners | Leinster SHC |
 Kilkenny |
2025 | 2015 | Semi-finals | Leinster SHC |
 Limerick |
2024 | 2023 | Quarter-finals | Munster SHC |
 Offaly |
1995 | 1998 | 5th in Leinster SHC | Leinster SHC |
 Tipperary |
2016 | 2025 | All-Ireland champions | Munster SHC |
 Waterford |
2010 | 1959 | 5th in Munster SHC | Munster SHC |
 Wexford |
2019 | 1996 | 4th in Leinster SHC | Leinster SHC |
Personnel and Kits
| County | Manager | Captain | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare |
Brian Lohan | Conor Cleary | Pat O'Donnell |
 Cork |
Ben O'Connor | Darragh Fitzgibbon | Sports Direct |
| Dublin |
Niall Ó Ceallacháin | Chris Crummey | Staycity |
| Galway |
Micheál Donoghue | Darren Morrissey | Supermac's |
| Kildare |
Brian Dowling | Rian Boran | Brady Family Ham |
| Kilkenny |
Derek Lyng | TJ Reid | Avonmore |
| Limerick |
John Kiely | Cian Lynch | JP McManus |
| Offaly |
Johnny Kelly | Charlie Mitchell | Glenisk |
| Tipperary |
Liam Cahill | Ronan Maher[7] | Clover |
| Waterford |
Peter Queally | Conor Prunty | Suir Engineering |
| Wexford |
Keith Rossiter | Jack O'Connor | Zurich Insurance Group |
Teams by Province
The participating teams, listed by province, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the 2026 National Hurling League (after promotion and relegation are applied and after finals are played) before the championship were:
Connacht (1)
Galway (4)
Leinster (5)
Munster (5)
Ulster (0)
- None Participated
Summary
Championships
| Competition | Year | Champions | Title | Runners-up | Level on pyramid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | 2026 | 1 | |||||
| Leinster Senior Hurling Championship | 2026 | ||||||
| Munster Senior Hurling Championship | 2026 | ||||||
| Joe McDonagh Cup | 2026 | 2 | |||||
| Christy Ring Cup | 2026 | 3 | |||||
| Nicky Rackard Cup | 2026 | 4 | |||||
| Lory Meagher Cup | 2026 | 5 |
Provincial Championships
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Group Stage
Source:[8]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galway |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5-51 | 2-34 | +26 | 4 | Advance to Leinster Final |
| 2 | Dublin |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5-52 | 5-41 | +11 | 3 | |
| 3 | Kilkenny |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5-37 | 4-41 | +2 | 2 | Advance to All-Ireland Quarter-Finals |
| 4 | Wexford |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2-38 | 6-35 | –9 | 2 | |
| 5 | Offaly |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5-40 | 4-54 | –11 | 1 | |
| 6 | Kildare |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2-33 | 4-46 | –19 | 0 | Relegation to Joe McDonagh Cup |
Round 1
| 18 April 2026 Round 1 | Galway | 3-25 (34) - (19) 1-16 | Kilkenny | Galway |
| 16:30 | Stadium: Pearse Stadium Attendance: 10,489[9] |
| 18 April 2026 Round 1 | Kildare | 1-14 (17) - (25) 1-22 | Wexford | Newbridge |
| 18:30 | Stadium: Cedral St Conleth's Park Attendance: 3,848 |
| 18 April 2026 Round 1 | Offaly | 4-22 (34) - (34) 2-28 | Dublin | Tullamore |
| 18:30 | Stadium: Glenisk O'Connor Park Attendance: 4,651 [10] |
Round 2
| 25 April 2026 Round 2 | Kilkenny | 5-21 (36) - (19) 1-16 | Wexford | Kilkenny |
| 18:30 | Stadium: UPMC Nowlan Park Attendance: 13,576 |
| 26 April 2026 Round 2 | Dublin | 3-24 (33) - (22) 1-19 | Kildare | Dublin |
| 16:30 | Stadium: Parnell Park |
| 26 April 2026 Round 2 | Galway | 2-26 (32) - (21) 1-18 | Offaly | Galway |
| 15:30 | Stadium: Pearse Stadium Attendance: 6,557 |
Round 3
| 9 May 2026 Round 3 | Kildare | v | Galway | Newbridge |
| 15:30 | Stadium: Cedral St Conleth's Park |
| 9 May 2026 Round 3 | Wexford | v | Dublin | Wexford |
| 16:00 | Stadium: Chadwicks Wexford Park |
| 10 May 2026 Round 3 | Offaly | v | Kilkenny | Tullamore |
| 15:00 | Stadium: Glenisk O'Connor Park |
Round 4
| 16 May 2026 Round 4 | Galway | v | Dublin | Galway |
| 16:30 | Stadium: Pearse Stadium |
| 16 May 2026 Round 4 | Offaly | v | Wexford | Tullamore |
| 18:00 | Stadium: Glenisk O'Connor Park |
| 16 May 2026 Round 4 | Kilkenny | v | Kildare | Kilkenny |
| 16:30 | Stadium: UPMC Nowlan Park |
Round 5
| 24 May 2026 Round 5 | Dublin | v | Kilkenny | Dublin |
| 14:00 | Stadium: Parnell Park |
| 24 May 2026 Round 5 | Kildare | v | Offaly | Newbridge |
| 14:00 | Stadium: Cedral St Conleth's Park |
| 24 May 2026 Round 5 | Wexford | v | Galway | Wexford |
| 14:00 | Stadium: Chadwicks Wexford Park |
Leinster Final
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
Group Stage
Sources:[11]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cork |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2-51 | 2-45 | +6 | 4 | Advance to Munster Final |
| 2 | Clare |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-33 | 4-21 | +6 | 2 | |
| 3 | Tipperary |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2-52 | 3-53 | –4 | 1 | Advance to All-Ireland Quarter-Finals |
| 4 | Waterford |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7-45 | 3-63 | –6 | 1 | |
| 5 | Limerick |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-23 | 2-22 | –2 | 0 |
Round 1
| 19 April 2026 Round 1 | Clare | 2-33 (39) - (33) 4-21 | Waterford | Ennis |
| 14:00 | Stadium: Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg Attendance: 18,338[12] |
| 19 April 2026 Round 1 |  Tipperary | 1-22 (25) - (29) 0-29 | Cork | Thurles |
| 16:00 | Stadium: FBD Semple Stadium Attendance: 44,348[13] |
Round 2
| 26 April 2026 Round 2 | Cork | 2-22 (28) - (26) 1-23 | Limerick | Cork |
| 14:00 | Stadium: SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh Attendance: 43,369 |
| 26 April 2026 Round 2 | Waterford | 3-24 (33) - (33) 1-30 | Tipperary | Waterford |
| 16:00 | Stadium: Azzurri Walsh Park Attendance: 11,982 |
Round 3
| 3 May 2026 Round 3 | Clare | v | Limerick | Ennis |
| 16:00 | Stadium: Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg |
| 9 May 2026 Round 3 | Waterford | v | Cork | Waterford |
| 16:00 | Stadium: Azzurri Walsh Park |
Round 4
| 16 May 2026 Round 4 | Tipperary | v | Clare | Thurles |
| 19:00 | Stadium: FBD Semple Stadium |
| 17 May 2026 Round 4 | Limerick | v | Waterford | Limerick |
| 15:00 | Stadium: TUS Gaelic Grounds |
Round 5
| 24 May 2026 Round 5 | Cork | v | Clare | Cork |
| 16:00 | Stadium: SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh |
| 24 May 2026 Round 5 | Limerick | v | Tipperary | Limerick |
| 16:00 | Stadium: TUS Gaelic Grounds |
Munster Final
| First-Placed Team | v | Second-Placed Team |
|---|---|---|
Cup Competitions
Joe McDonagh Cup (Tier 2)
Group Stage
Source:[14]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Carlow |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8-37 | 2-40 | +15 | 4 | Advance to Final |
| 2 |  Down |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3-45 | 2-40 | +8 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Westmeath |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2-45 | 4-35 | +4 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Laois |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-40 | 4-39 | –2 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Antrim |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0-45 | 3-45 | -9 | 0 | |
| 6 |  London |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2-32 | 3-45 | –16 | 0 | Relegated to Christy Ring Cup |
Final
| 6 June 2025 Final | First-Placed Team | v | Second-Placed Team | Dublin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:45 | Venue: Croke Park | ||||
| TV: RTÉ 2
|
Christy Ring Cup (Tier 3)
Group Stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kerry |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12-57 | 3-52 | +32 | 6 | Advance to Final |
| 2 |  Derry |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4-59 | 4-38 | +21 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Meath |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2-64 | 6-48 | +4 | 4 | |
| 4 |  Donegal |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4-55 | 8-47 | –4 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Wicklow |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4-37 | 4-55 | –18 | 2 | |
| 6 |  Roscommon |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4-40 | 5-72 | –35 | 0 | Potentially relegated to Nicky Rackard Cup[a] |
Final
| 30/31 May 2026 Final | First-Placed Team | v | Second-Placed Team | Dublin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Venue: Croke Park | ||||
| TV: Spórt TG4
|
Nicky Rackard Cup (Tier 4)
Group Stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tyrone |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10-48 | 3-54 | +15 | 6 | Advance to Final |
| 2 |  Sligo |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4-74 | 6-35 | +33 | 4 | Advance to Semi-Final |
| 3 |  Mayo |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5-84 | 8-36 | +39 | 4 | |
| 4 |  Fermanagh |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3-48 | 4-72 | –27 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Louth |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3-40 | 2-68 | –25 | 2 | |
| 6 |  Armagh |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5-44 | 7-73 | –35 | 0 | Relegated to Lory Meagher Cup |
Semi-Final
| 23/24 May 2025 Semi-Final |  New York |
v | Second-Placed Team | TBC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | |||||
|
|
Final
| 30/31 May 2026 Final | First-Placed Team | v | Semi-Final Winner | Dublin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Venue: Croke Park | ||||
| TV: Spórt TG4
|
Lory Meagher Cup (Tier 5)
Group Stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Leitrim |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5-58 | 5-40 | +18 | 6 | Advance to Final |
| 2 |  Longford |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10-61 | 5-37 | +39 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Cavan |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7-45 | 5-52 | –1 | 4 | |
| 4 |  Monaghan |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5-47 | 5-46 | +1 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Warwickshire |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5-45 | 7-54 | –15 | 2 | |
| 6 | Lancashire |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5-36 | 10-63 | –42 | 0 |
Final
| 30/31 May 2026 Final | First-Placed Team | v | Second-Placed Team | Dublin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Venue: Croke Park | ||||
| TV: Spórt TG4
|
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
| Quarter-Finals 20/21 June | Semi-Finals 4/5 July | All-Ireland Final 19 July | ||||||||||||
| Leinster Champions | ||||||||||||||
| Munster Runners-Up | Quarter-Final Winner 1 | |||||||||||||
| Leinster Third-Placed Team | ||||||||||||||
| Munster Champions | ||||||||||||||
| Leinster Runners-Up | Quarter-Final Winner 2 | |||||||||||||
| Munster Third-Placed Team | ||||||||||||||
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
| 4 July 2026 Semi-Final | Leinster Champions | v | Quarter-Final Winner | Dublin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Venue: Croke Park | ||||
| TV: RTÉ 2
|
| 5 July 2026 Semi-Final | Munster Champions | v | Quarter-Final Winner | Dublin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | Venue: Croke Park | ||||
| TV: RTÉ 2
|
Final
Stadia and locations
| County | Location | Province | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare |
Ennis | Munster | Cusack Park | 19,000 |
| Cork |
Cork | Munster | Páirc Uí Chaoimh | 45,000 |
| Dublin |
Dublin | Leinster | Croke Park (neutral) | 82,300 |
| Donnycarney | Leinster | Parnell Park (official home venue) | 8,500 | |
| Galway |
Galway | Connacht | Pearse Stadium | 26,197 |
| Kildare |
Newbridge | Leinster | St Conleth's Park | 15,000 |
| Kilkenny |
Kilkenny | Leinster | Nowlan Park | 27,000 |
| Limerick |
Limerick | Munster | Gaelic Grounds | 44,023 |
| Offaly |
Tullamore | Leinster | O'Connor Park | 18,000 |
| Tipperary |
Thurles | Munster | Semple Stadium | 45,690 |
| Waterford |
Waterford | Munster | Walsh Park | 11,046 |
| Wexford |
Wexford | Leinster | Chadwicks Wexford Park | 18,000 |
Statistics
Top scorers
- Overall
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T. J. Reid | Kilkenny |
1–08 | 11 | 1 | 11.00 |
| 2 | Lee Chin | Wexford |
1–12 | 15 | 1 | 15.00 |
| 3 | Donal Burke | Dublin |
0–11 | 11 | 1 | 11.00 |
| 4 | Adam Screeney | Offaly |
1–09 | 12 | 1 | 12.00 |
| 5 | Stephen Bennett | Waterford |
3-12 | 21 | 1 | 21.00 |
| 6 | Mark Rodgers | Clare |
0-11 | 11 | 1 | 11.00 |
| 7 | Jason Forde | Tipperary |
0-07 | 7 | 1 | 7.00 |
| 8 | Alan Connolly | Cork |
0-07 | 7 | 1 | 7.00 |
| 9 | William Buckley | Cork |
0-06 | 6 | 1 | 6.00 |
| 10 | Aaron Niland | Galway |
0-08 | 8 | 1 | 8.00 |
| 11 | Rory Burke | Galway |
2-02 | 8 | 1 | 8.00 |
| 12 | Jack Sheridan | Kildare |
1-05 | 8 | 1 | 8.00 |
From Play
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| 10 |
In a single game
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | |||||
| 9 | |||||
| 10 |
Scoring events
- Widest winning margin: 27 points
- Longford 5–21 — 1–06 Lancashire (Lory Meagher Cup Round 1)
- Most goals in a match: 7
- Warwickshire 3–12 — 4–24 Longford (Lory Meagher Cup Round 2)
- Most points in a match: 54
- Most goals by one team in a match: 5
- Most points by one team in a match: 34
- Highest aggregate score: 72 points
- Lowest aggregate score: 29 points
- Hat-trick Heros:
Stephen Bennett (Waterford) 3-12 v Clare (Munster Round 1)
Pádraig Boyle (Kerry) 3–02 v Donegal (Christy Ring Cup Round 2)- Pádraig Boyle (Kerry) 3–09 v Roscommon (Christy Ring Cup Round 3)
Mark Moffett (Cavan) 3–01 v Warwickshire (Lory Meagher Cup Round 1)