Qualifier-style series and replays on agenda for GAA Congress

GAA Congress delegates will this weekend vote on a new look All-Ireland football championship for 2026 which would see round robin groups replaced with a qualifier-style series.

The group stages of the current All-Ireland SFC have been heavily criticised over the past two years for lacking jeopardy as three teams emerge from groups or four.

The GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) is proposing that the alternative format would include provincial championships played on a knockout basis.

Subsequently, the eight provincial finalists and the next seven teams as per league ranking, along with the Tailteann Cup winners, would be drawn together in the first round for the Sam Maguire Cup.

The eight provincial finalists would be drawn at home against one of the other eight, with the eight winners progressing to round 2A, where they would be drawn against each other, producing four winners that would progress to the quarter-finals.

The eight first round losers would pair off in round 2B to produce four winners, who would then be pitted against the four round 2A losers in round 3. The four round 3 winners would then complete the quarter-final line-up.

The draws would be subject to avoidance of provincial final pairings and ties from previous rounds, where possible.

The motion is number 19 on the list out of 40 that will be voted on at GAA Congress this weekend at the Abbey Hotel, Donegal.

It is widely expected that the proposal for the new format structure, which will also be implemented in the Tailteann Cup, will be successful.

The new system would see counties having a minimum of three championship games, one less than what is currently guaranteed.

Overall, it would see 27 games in six rounds, eight less than the current