2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Championship details
Dates	TBC
Teams	33
All-Ireland Champions
Provincial Champions
Championship statistics
← 2019 2021 →

The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is the 133rd edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887.

Thirty-three teams will take part – thirty-one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, London and New York. Kilkenny, as in previous years, did not enter.

Dublin are the defending champions. Significant changes to the rules and format of the championship were made. The qualifiers stage will be shortened to accommodate the introduction of the second-tier championship, for Division 3 and 4 National Football League teams who fail to reach their provincial finals or get promoted to Division 2 of the league.

Competition format

Provincial Championships format

Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster each organise a provincial championship. Some of the teams who lose a match in their provincial championship enter the All-Ireland qualifiers – New York does not enter the qualifiers.

All provincial matches are knock-out. If the score is level at the end of the normal seventy minutes, two periods of ten minutes each way are played. If the score is still level the tie goes to a replay.

Qualifiers format

Approximately 12 teams qualify for the All-Ireland qualifiers, with the exact figure dependent on results in the year's leagues and provincial championships. Teams who failed to win their provincial championship and played in divisions 1 and 2 in this year's league enter the qualifiers, with the exception of the two teams relegated from division 2, whose place is taken by the two promoted teams from division 3. The remaining teams proceed to the second-tier championship. Eight teams play in round 1 of the qualifiers, with a preliminary round to feature if the number of teams who have qualified exceeds that figure. The four round 1 winners progress to round 2 and play-off against one of the beaten provincial finalists. The four round 2 winners progress to the All-Ireland Super 8s.

All qualifier matches are knockout with "Winner On The Day" rules being applied if a match is level at the end of the normal seventy minutes. Initially two extra time periods of ten minutes each way are played. If the score is still level two further periods of five minutes each way are played. If the score is still level, the winner is determined by a penalty shoot-out.

All-Ireland format

Significant changes to the format of the All-Ireland championship were made at the GAA's Annual Congress in February 2017 and introduced in 2018. The major change was the creation of the All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage commonly known as "The Super 8s", which replaced the four knockout quarter-finals. Two groups of four teams compete in three rounds (officially referred to as phases) in the Super 8s.

The top two teams in each group contest the semi-finals on a weekend in early August. The All-Ireland final is played "by the 35th Sunday of the year".

The semi-finals and final are knock-out. If the score is level at the end of the normal seventy minutes in a semi-final, two periods of ten minutes each way are played. If the score is still level the semi-final is replayed. If the score is level at the end of the normal seventy minutes in the final, the match is replayed.

Changes from 2019 competition

All-Ireland Qualifiers

Two rounds of qualifiers are played rather than four, as the stage is shortened due to the presence of the second-tier championship for most division 3 and 4 teams who failed to reach their provincial final.

Advanced mark

Initially trialled in the 2019 Leagues, the advanced mark rule was brought in for this year's championship. The referee will award a mark when a player catches the ball cleanly on or inside a 45m line from a kick in play delivered by an attacking player on or beyond the opposition's 45m line that travels at least 20m and without it touching the ground. The catching player must signal to the referee his intent to stop and take the mark, or else he can continue to play on as per usual.

Sin-bin

This introduces a ten-minute sin-bin for a player who commits a black card offence. Teams are not permitted to replace the player while he is in the sin-bin, leaving them at a numerical disadvantage. If a player commits another black card offence after returning to the field he is red-carded.

Kick-out

Goalkeepers must take their kick-out from the 20 metre line, as opposed to the 13 metre line in the past. They must kick the ball forward and team-mates must be 13 metres from the ball until it has been kicked.

Provincial Championships

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-Finals 2-10 May

Semi-Finals 17-24 May

Connacht Final 14 June

New York

Galway

New York/Galway

Sligo

London

Roscommon

London/Roscommon

Mayo

Mayo/Leitrim

Leitrim

Leinster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary Round 9-10 May

Quarter-Finals 23-24 May

Semi-Finals 7 June

Leinster Final 21 June

Carlow/Offaly

Carlow

Kildare

Offaly

Carlow/Offaly/Kildare

Wexford/Wicklow/Meath

Wexford/Wickow

Wexford

Meath

Wicklow

Louth/Longford

Louth

Laois

Longford

Louth/Longford/Laois

Westmeath/Dublin

Westmeath

Dublin

Munster Senior Football Championship

The two teams who won the semi-finals in the previous year are given byes to this year's semi-finals.

Quarter-Finals 9 May

Semi-Finals 24-30 May

Munster Final 21 June

Waterford

Limerick

Clare

Tipperary

Cork

Kerry

Ulster Senior Football Championship

An un-seeded draw determined the fixtures for all nine teams. In April 2018 the Ulster GAA Competitions Control Committee introduced a rule that the two teams who play in the preliminary round are exempt from playing in the preliminary round in the following two years. Derry and Tyrone were therefore awarded byes to the quarter-finals in 2020 and 2021.

Preliminary round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

Donegal

1–13

Tyrone

1–11

Donegal

1–22

Armagh

0–13

Derry

0–15

Armagh

0–17

Donegal

0–12

Cavan

1–13

Fermanagh

0–11

Down

1–15

Down

1–13

Cavan

1–14

Antrim

0–9

Monaghan

1–17

Cavan

0–13

Cavan

2–15

All-Ireland Qualifiers

The All-Ireland Qualifiers are open to teams from League Divisions 1 and 2 (with the exception of the two Division 2 teams who are relegated), the two promoted Division 3 teams and any other Division 3 or 4 teams who qualify for their provincial final.

Qualifiers Round 1

Eight teams feature in the first round of qualifiers,

The following teams take part in round 1 –

Connacht (?)

Leinster (?)

Munster (?)

Ulster (?)

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Qualifiers Round 2

The following teams take part in round 2 –

Round 1
Winners (4)

• TBC
• TBC
• TBC
• TBC

Beaten Provincial Finalists (4)

Connacht (1)

• TBC

Leinster (1)

• TBC

Munster (1)

• TBC

Ulster (1)

• TBC

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All-Ireland

All-Ireland Quarter-Finals Group Stage

Format
The four provincial champions and the four winning teams from round two of the All-Ireland qualifiers are divided into two groups of four teams. Each group consists of two provincial champions and the two losing provincial finalists of the other two provinces or the team that beats them in round four of the qualifiers.

There are three rounds of two games in each group. Teams have one home game, one away game and one game in Croke Park.

Phase 1 - Weekend of 11/12 July - Each of the two provincial champions play one of the two qualifiers with both provincial champions having home advantage.

Phase 2 - Weekend of 18/19 July - Winner of Phase 1 (A) versus Winner of Phase 1 (B) / Loser of Phase 1 (A) versus Loser of Phase 2 (B).

Phase 3 - Weekend of 1/2 August - Both qualifiers have home advantage when they play the provincial champions.

The top two teams in each group advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Tie-breaker

• Where two Teams only are involved – the outcome of the meeting of the two teams in the group
• Score difference – subtracting the total Scores against from the total Scores for
• Highest Total Score For
• Highest Total Goals For
• A Play-Off

If three or more teams are level on group points, score difference is used to rank the teams.

All-Ireland Quarter-Finals Group 1

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	Connacht Champions	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Advance to semi-finals
2	Ulster Champions	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Munster Runner-Up or team that defeats them in Round 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Leinster Runner-Up or team that defeats them in Round 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Updated to match(es) played on 3 August 2019. Source:

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All-Ireland Quarter-Finals Group 2

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	Leinster Champion	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Advance to semi-finals
2	Munster Champion	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Connacht Runner-Up or team that defeats them in Round 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Ulster Runner-Up or team that defeats them in Round 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Updated to match(es) played on 4 August 2019. Source:

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July 2020 Phase 1		v

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All-Ireland Semi-Finals

The winners of Super 8s Group 1 play the runners-up of Super 8s Group 2 and the winners of Super 8s Group 2 play the runners-up of Super 8s Group 1.

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RTÉ Sky Sports

August 2020 Semi-Final

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Croke Park, Dublin

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RTÉ Sky Sports

August 2020 Semi-Final

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Croke Park, Dublin

All-Ireland Final

Main article: 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

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RTÉ Sky Sports

August 2020 Final

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Croke Park, Dublin

Stadia and locations

Team	Location	Stadium	Stadium Capacity
Antrim	Belfast	Corrigan Park	5,000
Armagh	Armagh	Athletic Grounds	19,500
Carlow	Carlow	Dr. Cullen Park	21,000
Cavan	Cavan	Breffni Park	32,000
Clare	Ennis	Cusack Park	14,864
Cork	Cork	Páirc Uí Chaoimh	50,288
Derry	Derry	Celtic Park	22,000
Donegal	Ballybofey	MacCumhaill Park	18,000
Down	Newry	Páirc Esler	25,000
Dublin	Donnycarney	Parnell Park	13,500
Fermanagh	Enniskillen	Brewster Park	20,000
GAA	Drumcondra	Croke Park	82,300
Galway	Galway	Pearse Stadium	26,197
Kerry	Killarney	Fitzgerald Stadium	43,180
Kildare	Newbridge	St. Conleth's Park	6,200
Laois	Portlaoise	O'Moore Park	27,000
Leitrim	Carrick-on-Shannon	Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada	9,331
Limerick	Limerick	Gaelic Grounds	49,866
London	Ruislip	Emerald GAA Grounds	5,000
Longford	Longford	Pearse Park	10,000
Louth	Drogheda	Drogheda Park	7,000
Mayo	Castlebar	MacHale Park	42,000
Meath	Navan	Páirc Tailteann	10,000
Monaghan	Clones	St. Tiernach's Park	36,000
New York	Kingsbridge	Gaelic Park	2,000
Offaly	Tullamore	O'Connor Park	20,000
Roscommon	Roscommon	Dr. Hyde Park	25,000
Sligo	Sligo	Markievicz Park	18,558
Tipperary	Thurles	Semple Stadium	45,690
Tyrone	Omagh	Healy Park	26,500
Waterford	Waterford	Walsh Park	17,000
Westmeath	Mullingar	Cusack Park	11,000
Wexford	Wexford	Wexford Park	20,000
Wicklow	Aughrim	Aughrim County Ground	10,000

External links

• GAA official website
• GAA 2020 Master Fixture