2026 Dr McKenna Cup
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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Province | Ulster |
| Year | 2026 |
| Trophy | Dr McKenna Cup |
| Sponsor | Bank of Ireland |
| Date | 2–17 January 2026 |
| Teams | 9 |
| Defending champions | Derry |
| Winners | |
| Champions | Donegal (12th win) |
| Manager | Jim McGuinness |
| Captain | Caolan McGonagle |
| Runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Monaghan |
| Manager | Gabriel Bannigan |
| Captain | Mícheál Bannigan |
| Other | |
| Matches played | 11 |
| Website | Ulster GAA |
The 2026 Dr McKenna Cup is a Gaelic football competition for county teams in the province of Ulster.[1]
In September 2025, a unanimous vote of Ulster GAA's Competition Controls Committee favoured the holding of a 2026 edition of the competition.[2] The draw, for what is the centenary edition of the competition, took place in November 2025.[3] The first fixture, between Armagh and Tyrone, was played on a Friday evening, 2 January.[4] The group stages saw one game cancelled due to bad weather, and two results reversed due to ineligible players.[5] Donegal emerged as winners with wins over Antrim, Derry and Monaghan.[6]
Group stage The nine teams are drawn into three sections of three teams. Each team plays the other teams in their section once, either home or away. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a draw. The tie-break for teams level on points is points average (total scored ÷ total conceded), instead of the usual points difference.[7]
Knockout stage The winners of the three sections and the best of the runners-up in the three sections compete in the semi-finals with the two winners meeting in the final. Drawn games go to penalty shootouts without extra time being played.[8]
