This year’s All-Ireland series is a little different, with the round-robin group stage that was used between 2023 and 2025 scrapped in favour of a revamped backdoor system.
The current iteration works as follows:
Round 1
The eight provincial finalists play home matches against the seven next best placed teams according to league position and last year’s Tailteann Cup winners.
Round 2A
The eight winners from the opening round will be drawn against each other in Round 2A. The four 2A winners then progress to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
These games are scheduled to take place 13-14 June.
Round 2B
The eight Round 1 losers will face each other in Round 2B. The four losers in 2B will be eliminated.
These games are scheduled to take place 13-14 June.
Round 3
The four 2A losers will face the four 2A winners. A draw will determine the home venue for each pairing and will avoid provincial final repeats and Round 1 repeats where possible.
These games are scheduled to take place 20-21 June.
The four Round 3 winners will advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals to face the four Round 2A winners.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to take place 27-28 June, with the semi-finals on 11-12 July and the final on 26 July.
Source:
www.bbc.com
