2026 Down county football team season
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Down county football team 2026 football season
| 2026 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Conor Laverty |
| Stadium | Páirc Esler, Newry |
| NFL D3 | Champions |
| Dr McKenna Cup | Group Stage |
The following is a summary of Down county football team's 2026 season.
During pre-season Down competed in the McKenna Cup, with the main season consisting of the National Football League Division 3, the Ulster Championship and either the Tailteann Cup or the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Dr McKenna Cup
Main article: 2026 Dr McKenna Cup
The draw for the 2026 Dr McKenna Cup took place on 2 December 2025.[1][2]
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PR | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tyrone |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 31 | 1.194 | 4 | Advance to semi-final |
| 2 |  Down[a] |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 18 | 0.778 | 2 | |
| 3 |  Armagh |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 0.895 | 0 |
Source: Ulster GAA
Notes:
Notes:
Fixtures
Armagh 
v 
Down
v Down
| 7 January 2026 Group Stage | Armagh | 3-10 - 0-10 | Down | Armagh |
| 19:30 IWT (UTC) | O O’Neill (1-2), T Kelly (1-1), S Conlon (1-1), B Hughes (0-1), J McElroy (0-1), D Magee (0-1), C McConville (0-1), R Duffy (0-1) | Report | P Havern (0-3), S Loughran (0-2), D Guinness (0-1), T Close (0-1), E Brown (0-1), A Crimmins (0-1), P McPolin (0-1) | Stadium: Athletic Grounds Referee: James Lewis (Fermanagh) |
Tyrone 
v Down
v Down
| 11 January 2026 Group Stage | Tyrone | 0-18 - 1-11 | Down | Pomeroy |
| 13:30 IWT (UTC) | Ethan Jordan (0-7), Michael Conroy (0-4), Mattie Donnelly (0-3), Joseph Oguz (0-1), Joey Clarke (0-1), Ronan Cassidy (0-1), Aidan Donaghy (0-1) | Report | Pat Havern (0-8), Donal Scullion (1-1), John McGeough (0-1), Daniel Guinness (0-1) | Stadium: Plunkett Park Referee: Conor Dourneen (Cavan) |
National Football League Division 3
Main article: 2026 National Football League (Ireland)
Official fixtures for the 2026 National League were announced on 4 December 2025.[4][5]
Fixtures
Win Draw Loss Postponed/Cancelled
| Date | Round | Home | Score | Away | Ground | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 24 January | Group | Down | 2-19 v 2-14 | Clare | Pairc Esler, Newry | [6] |
| Saturday 31 January | Group | Limerick | 1-14 v 0-18 | Down | Páirc na nGael, Limerick | [7] |
| Saturday 14 February | Group | Down | 2-15 v 1-15 | Westmeath | Pairc Esler, Newry | [8] |
| Sunday 22 February | Group | Wexford | 1-19 v 1-29 | Down | Wexford Park, Wexford | [9] |
| Saturday 28 February | Group | Down | 1-18 v 1-15 | Fermanagh | Pairc Esler, Newry | [10] |
| Sunday 15 March | Group | Sligo | 0-21 v 2-25 | Down | Markievicz Park, Sligo | [11] |
| Sunday 22 March | Group | Down | 0-24 v 2-22 | Laois | Pairc Esler, Newry | [12] |
| Saturday 28th March | Final | Down | 0-21 v 0-18 | Wexford | Croke Park, Dublin | [13] |
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Down |
7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 172 | 144 | +28 | 12 | Advance to NFL Division 3 Final and promotion to 2027 NFL Division 2 |
| 2 |  Wexford |
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 142 | 125 | +17 | 10 | |
| 3 |  Westmeath |
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 162 | 141 | +21 | 8 | |
| 4 |  Laois |
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 131 | 130 | +1 | 7 | |
| 5 |  Sligo[a] |
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 133 | 146 | −13 | 6 | |
| 6 |  Clare[a] |
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 163 | 159 | +4 | 6 | |
| 7 |  Limerick |
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 119 | 146 | −27 | 5 | Relegation to 2027 NFL Division 4 |
| 8 |  Fermanagh |
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 119 | 150 | −31 | 2 |
Reports
Round 1
| Down | 2-19 - 2-14 | Clare |
|---|---|---|
| P Havern (0-06), O Murdock (1-02), D Guinness (0-05), J McGeough (1-01), C Doherty (0-03), S Annett (0-01), A Crimmins (0-01) | Report | M McInerney (1-03), C Brennan (1-00), D Bohannon (0-02), D Coughlan (0-02), S Ryan (0-02), A Griffin (0-02), B McNamara (0-02), C Murray (0-01) |
Referee: Conor Dourneen (Cavan)
Round 2
| Limerick | 1-14 - 0-18 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| Eliah O’Riordan (0-05), James Naughton (0-04f), Danny Neville (1-00), Robbie Childs (0-02), Barry Coleman (0-01), Andrew Meade (0-01), Paul Maher (0-01) | Report | Daniel Guinness (0-05), Pat Havern (0-03), Ceilum Doherty (0-03), Shane Annett (0-02), Pearse McPolin (0-02), Odhran Murdock (0-01), Ryan McEvoy (0-01), Jamie Doran (0-01) |
Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford)
Round 3
| Down | 2-15 - 1-15 | Westmeath |
|---|---|---|
| J McGeough (1-01), C Doherty (0-04), R Magill (1-00), D Guinness (0-03), O Murdock (0-03), A Crimmins (0-03), P McPolin (0-01) | Report | L Loughlin (0-06), B Cooney (1-01), R Forde (0-03), R Connellan (0-02), S McCartan (0-01), R Wallace (0-01), S Baker (0-01) |
Referee: Conor Dourneen (Cavan)
Round 4
| Wexford | 1-19 - 1-29 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| Darragh Brooks (0-08), Eoin Porter (1-00), Eoghan Nolan (0-03), Cathal Kehoe (0-02), Mark Rossiter (0-02), Tom Byrne (0-01), Seán Nolan (0-01), Jack Higgins (0-01), Páraic Hughes (0-01) | Report | Pat Havern (0-14), Odhran Murdock (0-06), Daniel Guinness (0-04), John McGeough (1-00), Ronan Burns (0-02), Jamie Doran (0-02), Eamon Brown (0-01) |
Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow)
Round 5
| Down | 1-18 - 1-15 | Fermanagh |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Havern (0-07), Odhran Murdock (1-02), Adam Crimmins (0-04), Callum Rogers (0-02), Ceilum Doherty (0-01), Liam Kerr (0-01), Eamonn Brown (0-01) | Report | Darragh McGurn (0-05), Ronan McCaffrey (1-01), Garvan Jones (0-02), Conor Love (0-02), Luke Flanagan (0-01), Cian O’Brien(0-01), Declan McCusker (0-01), Ciaran Corrigan (0-01), Mattie McDermott (0-01) |
Referee: Sean Lonergan (Tipperary)
Round 6
| Sligo | 0-21 - 2-25 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| Alan McLoughlin (0-6), Lee Deignan (0-04), David Quinn (0-04), Niall Murphy (0-03), Luke Towey (0-01), Jack Lavin (0-01), Daire O’Boyle (0-01), Cian Lally (0-01) | Report | Pat Havern (1-10), Ceilum Doherty (1-03), Daniel Guinness (0-06), Odhran Murdock (0-02), Adam Crimmins (0-02), Donal Scullion (0-01), Ryan McEvoy (0-01) |
Referee: Jonathan Hayes (Limerick)
Round 7
| Down | 0-24 - 2-22 | Laois |
|---|---|---|
| P Havern (0-11), J McGeough (0-03), O Murdock (0-03), E Brown (0-03), P Brooks (0-02), D Guinness (0-01), M Rooney (0-01) | Report | P Kingston (2-03), E O'Carroll (0-07), P Kirwin (0-03), K Roche (0-03), P O'Sullivan (0-02), B Byrne (0-01), R Coffey (0-01), R Murphy (0-01), D Galvin (0-01) |
Referee: Barry Judge (Sligo)
Final
| Down | 0-21 - 0-18 | Wexford |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Havern (0-05), Odhran Murdock (0-05), Ceilum Doherty (0-04), Daniel Guinness (0-02), Miceal Rooney (0-01), Liam Kerr (0-01), Ryan McEvoy (0-01), Adam Crimmins (0-01), Ruairí McCormack (0-01) | Report | Mark Rossiter (0-06), Páiric Hughes (0-05), Jack Higgins (0-02), Liam Coleman (0-01), Niall Hughes (0-01), Seán Nolan (0-01), Dylan Furlong (0-01), Robbie Brooks (0-01) |
Referee: Thomas Murphy (Galway)
Ulster Senior Football Championship
Main article: 2026 Ulster Senior Football Championship
The draw for the 2026 Ulster Championship took place on 27 November 2025.[14][15]
Fixtures
Quarter Final
Donegal  | 1-21 v 3-21 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Murphy (0-07), Oisin Gallen (0-05), Caolan McGonagle (1-00), Conor O’Donnell (0-03), Peadar Mogan (0-02), Jason McGee (0-02), Shea Malone (0-2) | Report | Pat Havern (0-07), Miceal Rooney (2-00), Daniel Guinness (1-03), Adam Crimmins (0-04), Odhran Murdrock (0-03), Ryan McEvoy (0-02), Caolan Mooney (0-01), Ceilum Doherty (0-01) |
Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon)
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||
 Derry
| 2-23 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Antrim
| 1-13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Derry
| |||||||||||||||||||
 Monaghan
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Monaghan
| 0-27 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Cavan
| 2-14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Semi-final winner | |||||||||||||||||||
| Semi-final winner | |||||||||||||||||||
| Donegal
| 1-21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Down
| 3-21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Armagh
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Armagh
| 1-17 | Down
| |||||||||||||||||
| Tyrone
| 1-16 | Fermanagh
| 1-24 | ||||||||||||||||
| Armagh
| 2-32 | ||||||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ "2026 Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup fixtures confirmed". Ulster GAA. 2 December 2025.
- ↑ "Armagh v Tyrone to open returning McKenna Cup". BBC Sport. 2 December 2025.
- ↑ "Fermanagh and Armagh docked McKenna Cup points". RTE. 9 January 2026.
- ↑ "Full list of 2026 GAA National League fixtures in football and hurling". BBC Sport. 4 December 2025.
- ↑ "GAA Master Fixtures schedule for 2026". GAA. 3 December 2025.
- ↑ "Down come good in second half to lower Banner". RTE. 24 January 2026.
- ↑ "Shane Annett to the rescue as Down sneak past Limerick". RTE. 31 January 2026.
- ↑ "Down narrowly avoid disaster against Westmeath". RTE. 14 February 2026.
- ↑ "Down dispatch Wexford to maintain promotion course". RTE. 22 February 2026.
- ↑ "Down maintain 100% record with Division 2 in sight". RTE. 28 February 2026.
- ↑ "Down go up to Division 2 after accounting for Sligo". RTE. 15 March 2026.
- ↑ "Laois finish campaign on a high as they end Down's run". RTE. 22 March 2026.
- ↑ "Down stage late comeback to deny Wexford in Allianz League Division 3 final". RTE. 28 March 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Provincial Football Championships draws". GAA. 27 November 2025.
- ↑ "2026 SFC provincial draws: Armagh and Tyrone in early season Ulster showdown". RTE. 28 November 2025.
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