2026 Walsh Cup
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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Province | Leinster, Ulster, Connacht |
| Year | 2026 |
| Sponsor | Dioralyte |
| Date | 4–18 January 2026 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Defending champions | Wexford |
| Winners | |
| Champions | Galway (5th win) |
| Manager | Micheál Donoghue |
| Captain | Darren Morrissey |
| Runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Dublin |
| Manager | Niall Ó Ceallacháin |
| Other | |
| Matches played | 6 (Cup) 4 (Shield) |
The 2026 Walsh Cup was a hurling competition for county teams in the provinces of Leinster, Ulster and Connacht.[1]
The draw was announced in November 2025, with the competition commencing on 4 January.[2] Features announced in advance included penalties to decide matches instead of extra time, any number of substitutions permitted, matches being reduced to 60 minutes, and "a Shield competition" intended to guarantee every team was involved in more than one match.[3]
The early rounds were marred by cold weather, with 3 first round games being cancelled due to frozen pitches; three teams, including Kilkenny, were knocked out via coin toss.[4] Galway won the tournament after beating Offaly and Dublin.[5]
The ten teams play in the first round. The five winners progress. Three of the first round winners go into the semi-finals, and two of them play a quarter-final.
The five losers in the first round are transferred to the Walsh Shield, which is also a straight knockout. This structure means that every team is guaranteed at least two games.[6]
Drawn games go straight to a penalty shootout without any extra time being played. Games which cannot be played due to weather conditions are decided by coin toss. [7]
