2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is due to be the 134th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887.

2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Championship details
Dates17 April – 17/18 July 2021
Teams32
All-Ireland Champions
Provincial Champions
Championship statistics
← 2020
2022 →

Thirty-two teams are due to take part – thirty-one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland (Kilkenny do not compete) plus London. New York are not expected take part unless delayed. Some teams defeated in the early rounds are scheduled to compete in the 2021 Tailteann Cup where previously they would have competed in the All-Ireland qualifiers.[1]

Dublin are the defending champions, aiming to complete an unprecedented seven-in-a-row.[2] There will be no "Super 8" final stage – instead quarter-finals are planned to be played as single games as they were in 2001–2017.[3]

Competition format

Provincial Championships format

Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster each organise a provincial championship. These tournaments are all straight knockout.

The sixteen teams in Division 1 and 2 at the end of the 2021 National Football League (i.e. after promotion and relegation is applied) are eligible for qualifiers if they are knocked out of the provincial championships. The teams in Division 3 and 4 at the end of the NFL do not enter qualifiers; they enter the 2021 Tailteann Cup if they are knocked out of the provincial championships. (An exception applies for the teams who won provincial championships in 2020, i.e. Cavan, Dublin, Mayo and Tipperary, who are eligible for the qualifiers even if they end the league in Division 3 or 4.)[4][5]

The draws were take place on Monday 8 February 2021 but now are Post-phoned in every other year there would be held in October–November but due to COVID-19 there was a delayed championship in 2020.

Only if fixtures are delayed London, New York City & Sligo will be back in the Connacht championship.

Qualifiers format

The teams eliminated from the provincial championships, who either ended the NFL in Division 1 or 2, or won a provincial championship in 2020, play each other in a series of knockout games until four teams remain.

All-Ireland format

The four provincial champions play the four winners of the qualifier series in the quarter-finals. Two semi-finals and a final follow. All matches are knock-out. Any game that ends in a draw will go straight to extra-time. If the sides are level after extra-time the game will be decided by a free-taking shootout system.

Eligibility
Definitely eligible for qualifiers
Qualifier eligibility will be determined by 2021 NFL (Initial division placing in brackets)
Definitely not eligible for qualifiers; will enter Tailteann Cup if eliminated from provincial championship

Provincial championships

Connacht Senior Football Championship

As that Sligo, London and New York all withdrew from the 2020 Connacht championship in 2020 due to COVID-19 it may still not be possible to return in 2021 but will be back in 2022 if possible.

If Galway had played New York in 2020 Roscommon would play them in 2021.

If Roscommon had played London in 2020 Mayo would play them in 2021.

But a change of rotional year could be allowed at this stage.

Sligo only pulled out of playing in the championship in 2020 5 days before the semi-final game against Galway.

Matches not played in 2020 will be rescheduled as challenge matches when it's safe.

Open draw for Sligo, Leitrim & Galway.


Quarter-Finals

^ London or New York may not compete, depending on restrictions on travel regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. But both will return to playing when safe. Will be allowed extra challenge matches to make results count.

| * = But if there is a delay London or New York could be safe to resume taking part.

Semi-Finals

Final

Leinster Senior Football Championship

Dublin, Kildare, Laois and Meath receive byes to the quarter-final stage, because they reached the semi-final stage in 2020.

Preliminary Round

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Final

Munster Senior Football Championship

The return of a straight forward open draw for the first time since 2013. Due to Tipperary winning in 2020 the title Cork & Kerry meet in Semi Final last year. While meaning Cork, Kerry or Tipperary will be allowed to the Quarter Finals.


Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Final

Ulster Senior Football Championship

An open draw, except that Cavan, Derry, Monaghan and Tyrone cannot be placed in the preliminary round.[6]

Preliminary Round

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Final

Qualifiers

Qualifier Round 1

Qualifier Round 2

Qualifier Round 3

All-Ireland Knockout Stage

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

If provincial champions reach Semi-finals Connacht would host Leinster, while Ulster would host Muster in the other.

All-Ireland Final

Stadia and locations
Locations of stadia used during the championship
Stadia
County Location Stadium Capacity
Cavan Cavan Breffni Park 32,000
Cork Cork Páirc Uí Chaoimh 45,000
Derry Derry Celtic Park 22,000
Donegal Ballybofey MacCumhaill Park 18,000
Fermanagh Enniskillen Brewster Park 20,000
Dublin Drumcondra Croke Park 82,300
Galway Galway Pearse Stadium 26,197
Laois Portlaoise O'Moore Park 27,000
Leitrim Carrick-on-Shannon Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada 9,331
Monaghan Clones St. Tiernach's Park 36,000
Offaly Tullamore O'Connor Park 20,000
Roscommon Roscommon Dr. Hyde Park 25,000
Tipperary Thurles Semple Stadium 45,690
Waterford Dungarvan Fraher Field 15,000
Westmeath Mullingar Cusack Park 11,000
Wexford Wexford Wexford Park 20,000

Notes
  1. The game was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland

References
  1. Moran, Seán. "GAA to announce details of 2021 season". The Irish Times.
  2. Moran, Seán; O'Riordan, Ian. "December Road: Dublin players can emulate Jack Lynch". The Irish Times.
  3. Scully, Michael (21 December 2020). "GAA confirm 2021 fixture plan - including July All-Ireland finals & split season". Irish Mirror.
  4. Keane, Paul (23 December 2020). "Mickey Graham welcomes 'common sense' approach to Tailteann Cup". Irish Examiner.
  5. "2021 League and Championships – Overview". www.gaa.ie.
  6. "Ulster SFC format to change from 2020". www.hoganstand.com. Hoganstand.com. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
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