Wikipedia

2026 Joe McDonagh Cup

The 2026 Joe McDonagh Cup was the ninth staging of the Joe McDonagh Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2018.[1]

Joe McDonagh Cup 2026
Corn Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonnacha
Tournament details
Level2
Year2026
TrophyJoe McDonagh Cup
Dates18 April - 6 June 2026
Teams6
Winners
Champions Laois (2nd win)
ManagerTommy Fitzgerald
CaptainDavid Dooley
Qualify forJoe McDonagh Cup Final
Runners-up
Runners-up Carlow
ManagerPat Bennett
CaptainChris Nolan
Promotion/Relegation
Promoted team(s) Laois
Relegated team(s) London
← 2025
2027 →

The top two teams from the round robin stage - Laois and Carlow — played off in a final to decide the winner but unlike previous years, the two finalists did not advance to All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals, which were scrapped this year.[2] The final was won by Laois, who will consequently play in Leinster Senior Hurling Championship in 2027. The bottom team, London, are relegated to the Christy Ring Cup.

As part of the same changes which scrapped the preliminary quarter-finals, a semi-final between the second and third-placed teams will be introduced in 2027's edition of the competition.[3]

Team Changes

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To Championship

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From Championship

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Format

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Cup Format

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Initially each of the six teams played the other five teams in single round-robin matches. The top two teams after the round robin games competed in the Joe McDonagh Cup final.

Promotion

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With the relegation of Kerry in 2025 to the 2026 Christy Ring Cup, no Munster team is taking part in 2026 so the champions will be automatically promoted to next year's Leinster Championship.

Relegation

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The bottom-placed team in the Joe McDonagh Cup — London — will be automatically relegated to next year's Christy Ring Cup, to be replaced by the Christy Ring Cup winner.

Teams by province

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The participating teams, listed by province, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the 2026 National Hurling League before the championship were:

Britain

Connacht

  • None Participated

Leinster (4)

Munster (1)

  • None Participated

Ulster (1)

Teams

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General Information

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Six counties will compete in the Joe McDonagh Cup:

County Last Cup Title Last Provincial Title Last All-Ireland Title Position in 2025 Championship Appearance
Antrim 2022 2017 — 6th (Leinster Senior Hurling Championship) 5th
Carlow 2023 — — 3rd 7th
Down — 1997 — 5th 6th
Laois 2019 1949 1915 Runners-Up 6th
London — — 1901 Champions (Christy Ring Cup) 1st
Westmeath 2021 — — 4th 7th

Personnel and kits

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County Manager Captain(s) Sponsor
Antrim Davy Fitzgerald Conal Cunning and Niall O'Connor Fibrus
Carlow Pat Bennett Chirs Nolan MW Hire Group
Down Ronán Sheehan EOS IT Solutions
Laois Tommy Fitzgerald David Dooley Laois Hire
London Eoin O'Neill Seán Glynn Clayton Hotels
Westmeath Kevin O'Brien Ronan Wallace TEG

Group Stage

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Table

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Pos Team Pld W D L SF SA Diff Pts Qualification
1 Carlow 5 4 0 1 17-96 7-94 +32 8 Advanced to Final
2 Laois 5 4 0 1 13-125 6-104 +42 8
3 Down 5 3 0 2 6-117 10-103 +2 6
4 Antrim 5 3 0 2 6-122 10-89 +21 6
5 Westmeath 5 1 0 4 7-102 12-120 -33 2
6 London (R) 5 0 0 5 6-71 10-123 -64 0 Relegated to Christy Ring Cup

Round 1

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18 April 2026 Round 1 Antrim 0-23 (23) - (25) 1-22 Down Dunloy
13:30 S Elliot 0-11 (10fs), J McNaughton 0-3, R McCambridge 0-2, K Molloy 0-2, C Cunning 0-2, P Boyle 0-1, E O’Neill 0-1, J McCloskey 0-1. Report P Óg McCrickard 0-8 (8fs), D Hughes 1-1, T McGrattan 0-4, D Sands 0-2, C Taggart 0-1, L Savage 0-1, C Coleman 0-1, M Fisher 0-1, O McDermott 0-1, B Teggart 0-1, F Turpin 0-1. Stadium: Pearse Park
18 April 2026 Round 1 Carlow 4-17 (29) - (20) 1-17 Laois Carlow
18:00 M Kavanagh 0-9 (9fs), C Nolan 1-2 (1-sl), J Doyle 1-1, F Fitzpatrick 1-1, C Kehoe 1-1, J Nolan 0-2, J Treacy 0-1. Report A Dunphy 0-9 (7fs), B Conroy 1-2, S Maher 0-4 (1f), J Kelly 0-1, D Dooley 0-1. Stadium: Netwatch Cullen Park
19 April 2026 Round 1 London 0-15 (15) - (25) 1-22 Westmeath Ruislip
13:00 J Morrissey 0-7 (5f), P Kennedy 0-2, F Ó Riaian Broin (‘65’), D Dawson, R Lodge, S Glynn, O Donnelly, B Morrissey 0-1 each. Report D Williams 0-10 (6f), E Keyes 1-4, E Cunneen 0-3, S Williams, M Cunningham, D McCormack, J Coll, J Gillen 0-1 each. Stadium: McGovern Park

Round 2

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25 April 2026 Round 2 Down 2-23 (29) - (23) 2-17 London Ballycran
13:00 C Coleman 1-3, D Hughes 0-5, D Sands 1-0, T McGrattan, P Óg McCrickard (3fs), and P Smyth (3fs) 0-3 each, M Fisher 0-2, B Trainor, R McCrickard, L Savage, and F Turpin 0-1 each. Report R McGrady 0-6 (6fs), S Glynn and J Morrissey (1-1fs) 1-2 each, P Kennedy 0-3, F Whelan 0-2, T Hanafin and E McGrath 0-1 each. Stadium: McKenna Park
25 April 2026 Round 2 Laois 2-23 (29) - (22) 0-22 Antrim Portlaoise
16:00 S Maher 0-13 (8fs, 3 ’65s), C Dunne 2-2, M Phelan 0-2, M Dowling, T Keyes, I Shanahan, F C-Fennell, D Dooley and J Keyes 0-1 each. Report S Elliott 0-8 (7fs), J McNaughton 0-6 (3fs), R McCambridge 0-3, C Cunning, P Boyle, J McCloskey, K Molloy and E O’Neill 0-1 each Stadium: Laois Hire O'Moore Park
25 April 2026 Round 2 Westmeath 1-23 (26) - (32) 4-20 Carlow Mullingar
16:00 D Williams 0-7 (4f, 1 ‘65’), K Doyle 1-3, E Cunneen, S Williams 0-3 each, D McCormack 0-2, J Kearney, A Shaw, P Murphy, K Regan, E Keyes 0-1 each. Report M Kavanagh 1-8 (0-5f, 0-1‘65’), F Fitzpatrick 0-5, J Doyle, C Kehoe 1-1 each, C Nolan 1-0, E Kealy, D Murphy 0-2 each, J Nolan 0-1. Stadium: TEG Cusack Park

Round 3

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9 May 2026 Round 3 Down 2-17 (23) - (26) 3-17 Carlow Ballycran
13:00 P Og McCrickard 1-5 (3fs, 1'65), D Hughes 1-2, T McGrattan 0-4, D Sands 0-2, T Prenter 0-3, B Taggart 0-1. Report M Kavanagh 1-10 (8fs), J Doyle 1-1, P Boland 1-0, D Murphy 0-4, C Nolan and J Treacy 0-1 each. Stadium: McKenna Park
9 May 2026 Round 3 Westmeath 2-19 (25) - (43) 5-28 Laois Mullingar
17:00 P Murphy 1-1, E Keyes, D Williams (2fs) 0-4 each, A Bate 1-0, S Williams 0-3, D McCormack, K Regan 0-2 each, K Doyle, J Gillen, E Cunneen 0-1 each. Report A Dunphy 1-10 (4fs), B Conroy 1-5, S Maher 1-4 (1-0pen, 3fs, 1‘65’), T Keyes, G Lynch 1-0 each, C Dunne 0-2, FC Fennell, C McEvoy, R Mullaney, D Dooley, A Corby, M Phelan, J Kelly 0-1 each. Stadium: TEG Cusack Park
10 May 2026 Round 3 London 4-09 (21) - (25) 1-22 Antrim Ruislip
13:00 R McGrady 0-5, (5f), P Kennedy, S Glynn 1-1 each, C Byrne, J Morrissey 1-0 each, N Fitzgerald, A Cunney 0-1 each. Report S Elliott 0-8 (4f), C Cunning 1-3, J McNaughton 0-3 (3f), K Molloy 0-3, C Johnston, C Bohill, P Boyle, J McCloskey, R Donaghy 0-1 each. Stadium: McGovern Park

Round 4

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16 May 2026 Round 4 Carlow 5-27 (42) - (11) 0-11 London Carlow
13:00 M Kavanagh 2-11 (3-65s, 5fs), C Kehoe 2-0, C Nolan 0-4, J Treacy 1-0, J Doyle 0-3, JM Nolan 0-2, D Murphy 0-2, F O’Toole, D Wall, E Kealy, R Coady, L Doyle 0-1 each. Report R McGrady 0-5 (5fs), P Kennedy 0-3, S Glynn, D Dawson, J Loughnane (sideline) 0-1 each. Stadium: Netwatch Cullen Park
16 May 2026 Round 4 Antrim 2-29 (35) - (26) 2-20 Westmeath Belfast
17:00 J McLaughlin 1-4 (2fs), S Elliot 0-7 (5fs), R McCambridge 0-5, O Donnelly 1-1, J McNaughton 0-3, J McCloskey 0-2, P Boyle 0-2, K Molloy 0-2, C Cunning 0-1, R Donaghy 0-1, R McCormick 0-1. Report D Williams 0-10 (8fs), D McCormack 1-3, E Keyes 1-1, J Coll 0-2, P Murphy 0-2, C McCarthy 0-1, M Cunningham 0-1. Stadium: Corrigan Park
16 May 2026 Round 4 Laois 4-28 (40) - (27) 0-27 Down Portlaoise
17:00 A Dunphy 3-5 (2fs), S Maher 0-8 (3fs, 1 65), T Keyes 1-2, A Corby and M Phelan 0-3 each, D Dooley and J Keyes 0-2 each, C Dunne, J Kelly and B Conroy 0-1 each. Report P Og McCrickard 0-15 (7fs), T McGrattan 0-3 (1f), T Prenter, F Turpin and D Sands 0-2 each, B Trainor, C Coleman and P Sheehan (65) 0-1 each. Stadium: Laois Hire O'Moore Park

Round 5

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24 May 2026 Round 5 Antrim 3-26 (35) - (18) 1-15 Carlow Belfast
13:00 J McNaughton 0-13 (10f), K Molloy 1-5, J McLaughlin 1-1, R Donaghy 1-0, P Boyle 0-3, R McCambridge 0-2, G Walsh 0-1, S Walsh 0-1 Report R Murphy 1-8 (8F), J Doyle 0-4, E English 0-1, C Beck 0-1, C Kavanagh 0-1 Stadium: Corrigan Park
24 May 2026 Round 5 Down 1-28 (31) - (21) 1-18 Westmeath Ballycran
13:00 F Turpin 0-5, P Og McCrickard 0-5 (4f, 1'65), D Hughes 0-3, R McCrickard 1-0, T Prenter 0-3, R Beatty 0-3, T McGrattan 0-2, T Murray 0-2, P Sheehan 0-2 (2f), C Taggart, D Sands, M Fisher 0-1 each. Report D Williams 0-8 (5f), J Gillen 1-3 (2f, 1'65), D McCormack 0-3, E Cunneen 0-2, M Cunningham, J Bermingham 0-1 each. Stadium: McKenna Park
24 May 2026 Round 5 London 0-19 (19) - (32) 1-29 Laois Ruislip
13:00 R McGrady 0-9 (eight frees), J Morrissey 0-3 (one free), D Dawson 0-2, P Kennedy 0-1, J Loughnane 0-1, C Byrne 0-1, E Kelly 0-1, D Leahy 0-1. Report A Dunphy 0-13 (eight frees), C Dunne 1-2, J Kelly 0-3, J Keyes 0-2, M Dowling 0-2, M Phelan 0-2, A Corby 0-2, G Lynch 0-1, R Mullaney 0-1, F Mahoney 0-1. Stadium: McGovern Park

Knockout Stage

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Final

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6 June 2026 Final Carlow 1-18 (21) – (30) 1-27 Laois Dublin  
15:45 (HT: 1-07 - 0-13) Venue: Croke Park
TV: RTÉ 2


Stadia and Locations

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Statistics

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Top scorers

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Overall
Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average
1 Marty Kavanagh Carlow 4-38 50 4 12.50
2 Aaron Dunphy Laois 4-37 49 5 9.80
3 Pearse Óg McCrickard Down 1-36 39 5 7.80
David Williams Westmeath 0-39 39 5 7.80
5 Seánn Elliott Antrim 0-34 34 4 8.50
6 Stephen Maher Laois 1-29 32 4 8.00
7 James McNaughton Antrim 0-28 28 5 5.60
8 Ronan McGrady London 0-25 25 5 5.00
9 Jack Morrissey London 2-12 18 5 3.60
10 Donal Hughes Down 2-11 17 5 3.40
In a single game
Rank Player County Tally Total Opposition
1 Marty Kavanagh Carlow 2-11 17 London
2 Pearse Óg McCrickard Down 0-15 15 Laois
3 Aaron Dunphy Laois 3-05 14 Down
4 Marty Kavanagh Carlow 1-10 13 Down
Aaron Dunphy Laois 1-10 13 Westmeath
Stephen Maher Laois 0-13 0-13 Antrim
Aaron Dunphy Laois 0-13 13 London
James McNaughton Antrim 0-13 13 Carlow
9 Marty Kavanagh Carlow 1-08 11 Westmeath
Seánn Elliott Antrim 0-11 11 Down

Scoring events

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  • Widest winning margin: 31 points
  • Most goals in a match: 7
  • Most points in a match: 48
  • Most goals by one team in a match: 5
  • Most points by one team in a match: 29
  • Highest aggregate score: 68 points
  • Lowest aggregate score: 40 points

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Moran, Seán (30 September 2017). "GAA Congress approve round-robin provincial hurling championships". Irish Times. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  2. ↑ Gaa.ie (2026-02-28). "Motion to dispense with All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals passed". www.gaa.ie. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  3. ↑ Gaa.ie (2026-02-28). "Motion to dispense with All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals passed". www.gaa.ie. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
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