The 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 133rd edition of the GAA's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887.
Thirty-three teams took part – thirty-one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, London and New York. Kilkenny, as in previous years, did not enter.
The defending champion was Dublin. In 2018 this team won a record-equalling fourth consecutive title, becoming only the fourth team to achieve this feat (the other four-in-a-row champions were Wexford in 1915–18 and Kerry in 1929–32 and 1978–81). They won the 2019 final, defeating Kerry in a replay, and became the GAA's first ever five-in-a-row All-Ireland senior champions.
Format +Qualified teams for All IrelandEntry roundTeamsQuarter-finals Kerry (1st) Dublin (1st) Roscommon (1st) Donegal (1st)Round 4 Cork (2nd) Meath (2nd) Galway (2nd) Cavan (2nd)Round 3Round 2 Clare (SF) Kildare (SF) Mayo (SF) Armagh (SF) Limerick (SF) Laois (SF) Sligo (SF) Tyrone (SF)Round 1 Tipperary (QF) Louth (QF) Wicklow (PR) Down (QF) Waterford (QF) Westmeath (QF) Leitrim (QF) Fermanagh (QF) Carlow (QF) Offaly (PR) London (QF) Monaghan (QF) Longford (QF) Wexford (PR) Antrim (QF) Derry (PR)
Provincial Championships format Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster each organise a provincial championship. Most 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.
COVID-19 caused it to be London and New York final year part of the Connacht championship until 2022. Sligo were excluded too from 2020 championships but were back in 2021.
Qualifiers format Twenty eight of the twenty nine teams beaten in the provincial championships enter the All-Ireland qualifiers, which are knock-out. Sixteen of the seventeen teams (New York do not enter the qualifiers) eliminated before their provincial semi-finals play eight matches in round 1 of the qualifiers, with the winners of these games playing the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists in round 2. The eight winning teams from round 2 play-off against each other in round 3, with the four winning teams playing the four beaten provincial finalists in round 4. This completes the double-elimination format as the four round 4 winners re-enter the main competition at the Super 8 stage (officially named The All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage). Further details of the format are included with each qualifier round listed below.
In rounds one to three, teams from divisions three and four of the National Football League have home advantage if drawn against teams from divisions one and two.
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.
The changes will be trialed for three years before being reviewed by the GAA in late 2020.
Provincial championships
Connacht Senior Football Championship
For official fixtures and results see Connacht Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie
Leinster Senior Football Championship
The four teams who won their quarter-finals in the previous year are given byes to this year's quarter-finals. Six of the seven remaining teams play-off in the preliminary round with the seventh team also receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.
For official fixtures and results see Leinster Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie
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.
For official fixtures and results see Munster Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie
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 playing in the preliminary round would be 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.
For official fixtures and results see Ulster Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie
All-Ireland Series
Qualifiers For official fixtures and results see All-Ireland Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie
Round 1 In the first round of the qualifiers sixteen of the seventeen teams beaten in the preliminary rounds or quarter-finals of the provincial championships competed. New York did not enter the qualifiers. The round 1 draw was unrestricted − if two teams played each other in a provincial match they could be drawn to meet again. The eight winners of these matches played the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists in round 2 of the qualifiers.
The following teams took part in round 1 –
London Leitrim
Offaly Wicklow Wexford Louth Carlow Westmeath Longford
Tipperary Waterford
Derry Monaghan Down Antrim Fermanagh
Round 2 In the second round of the qualifiers the eight winning teams from round 1 played the eight beaten provincial semi-finalists. The round 2 draw was unrestricted − if two teams played each other in a provincial match they could be drawn to meet again. The eight winners of these matches played each other in four matches in round 3.
The following teams took part in round 2 –
Offaly Leitrim Antrim Derry Monaghan Down Longford Westmeath
Connacht (2) Sligo Mayo
Leinster (2) Kildare Laois
Munster (2) Limerick Clare
Ulster (2) Tyrone Armagh
Round 3 In the third round of the qualifiers the eight winning teams from round 2 played off in four matches. Round 3 draw rules did not allow two teams that have played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing could be avoided. In 2019 only Laois and Westmeath had played each other and this pairing was prevented in the draw. The four winners of these matches played the four beaten provincial finalists in round 4.
The following teams took part in round 3:
Kildare Tyrone Laois Westmeath Clare Mayo Armagh Offaly
Round 4 In the fourth round of the qualifiers, the four winning teams from round 3 played the four beaten provincial finalists. Round 4 draw rules did not allow two teams that had played each other in a provincial match to meet again if such a pairing could be avoided. The matches were normally held in neutral venues (unless the two teams involved had an arrangement or agreed to a coin toss to decide who had home advantage). The four winners of these matches played in the round robin All-Ireland Super 8s.
The following teams took part in round 4 –
Draw Beaten Provincial FinalistsRound 3 Winners Galway
Cork
Cavan
Meath Clare
Tyrone
Mayo
Laois
Group stage For official fixtures and results see All-Ireland Senior Football Championship at gaa.ie
Structure Format
The four provincial champions and the four winning teams from round four 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 13/14 July – Each of the two provincial champions play one of the two qualifiers with both provincial champions having home advantage.
Phase 2 – Weekend of 20/21 July – The provincial champions play each other and the two qualifiers play each other. All round 2 matches are in Croke Park.
Phase 3 – Weekend of 3/4 August – Both qualifiers have home advantage when they play the provincial champions.
Dublin, if they qualify, will play their home game at Croke Park meaning that they will have two "Super 8" games in Croke Park. Some counties criticised the use of Croke Park as a home venue for Dublin. At the GAA Congress on 23 February 2019 Donegal proposed that Dublin be limited to playing one "Super 8" game at Croke Park. The motion failed as it only received 36% of the available votes.
Super 8 games are played in the four weeks beginning in early July and ending in the first weekend in August (which is also the bank holiday weekend in the Republic of Ireland). Two points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals.
Tie-breaker
If only two teams are level on group points – The team that won the head-to-head match is ranked first If this game was a draw, score difference (total scored minus total conceded in all group games) is used to rank the teams If score difference is identical, total scored is used to rank the teams If still identical, a play-off is required If three or more teams are level on group points, score difference is used to rank the teams.
Group 1
Group 2
Knockout stage
Semi-finals The winner of Super 8s Group 1 played the runner-up of Super 8s Group 2, while the winner of Super 8s Group 2 played the runner-up of Super 8s Group 1.
Final
The Central Competitions Control Committee of the GAA decided in October 2018 that, in future, the final should be played "by the 35th Sunday of the year". Traditionally the final was held on the third Sunday in September.
Stadia and locations Team Location Stadium StadiumCapacity Antrim Belfast Corrigan Park Armagh Armagh Athletic Grounds Carlow Carlow Dr Cullen Park Cavan Cavan Breffni Park Clare Ennis Cusack Park Cork Cork Páirc Uí Chaoimh Derry Derry Celtic Park Donegal Ballybofey MacCumhaill Park Down Newry Páirc Esler Dublin Donnycarney Parnell Park Fermanagh Enniskillen Brewster Park GAA Drumcondra Croke Park Galway Galway Pearse Stadium Kerry Killarney Fitzgerald Stadium Kildare Newbridge St Conleth's Park Laois Portlaoise O'Moore Park Leitrim Carrick-on-Shannon Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada Limerick Limerick Gaelic Grounds London Ruislip Emerald GAA Grounds Longford Longford Pearse Park Louth Drogheda Drogheda Park Mayo Castlebar MacHale Park Meath Navan Páirc Tailteann Monaghan Clones St Tiernach's Park New York Kingsbridge Gaelic Park Offaly Tullamore O'Connor Park Roscommon Roscommon Dr Hyde Park Sligo Sligo Markievicz Park Tipperary Thurles Semple Stadium Tyrone Omagh Healy Park Waterford Waterford Walsh Park Westmeath Mullingar Cusack Park Wexford Wexford Wexford Park Wicklow AughrimAughrim County Ground
Referees Panel As announced in April 2019: This was the first year in the SFC for two referees: Brendan Cawley (Kildare) and James Molloy (Galway).