Final Fling Peil 2026

The Game

This is the 137th All-Ireland football championship final. It was first staged in 1887 when Limerick Commercials defeated Dundalk Young Ireland’s by 1-4 to 0-3. The first final was not played until 29 April, 1888 and staged in Beech Hill, in Donnybrook. The Championship of 1888 was unfinished due to the American Invasion Tour, and in 1925 there was no final with Galway declared champions.

The Cup

The Sam Maguire Cup was presented to the GAA in 1928. Its first winners were Kildare in the 1928 final. It is named in honour of Sam Maguire, an IRB activist and prominent London GAA player and official. From Dunmanway in Cork, he died in 1927 at just 49 years and his friends commissioned the cup in his honour.

The Medal

The winners will receive 36 solid gold All-Ireland medals inspired by the Celtic Cross design.

The Teams

Defending champions Kerry won their first All-Ireland in 1903 and are seeking a record extending 40^th title.

Mayo were champions in 1936, 1950 and 1951.

The Referee

The 2026 final will be refereed by Martin McNally of Corduff in Monaghan in his first ever senior final. In the event of a draw after 70 minutes there will be 20 minutes of extra-time. In the event of the teams being still level after 90 minutes the replay will be 8 August at Croke Park.

The Pitch

Darren Jepson is taking charge of his first All-Ireland football final as Lead Groundsman at Croke Park. It takes two hours at a time for a team of four to cut the grass by hand and it is cut twice a day from Thursday right up to Sunday morning. The pitch markings will be done on Saturday and again on Sunday morning. The Peil 2026 stencil will be done on Saturday and finished on Sunday. New underground tanks have harvested 1.5 million litres of rainwater off the roof of Croke Park and is used to water the pitch. The first All-Ireland final at the venue was the 1895 decider, played in March 1896. There have been 15 different All-Ireland final venues. Since 1912, every All-Ireland football final has been played at Jones’s Road/Croke Park except the 1947 Cavan-Kerry decider at New York’s Polo Grounds.

The Audience

The match will be played before a confirmed 82,000 capacity Croke Park crowd. It will be shown to an expected TV audience of almost 1 million on RTÉ and shown in Britain on BBC and will be available in 180 territories via GAA+. RTÉ radio will cover the match – 100 years after their first ever match coverage was broadcast from the stadium – as will Raidió na Gaeltachta. Local radio stations will also broadcast to Mayo and Kerry. Millions of people will engage with the GAA’s own @officialgaa social media channels.

Economic Impact

For the first time ever, there will be an economic impact study of the All-Ireland football final. Researchers led by Loughborough University, supported by Ulster University and Sheffield Hallam University will be outside and inside the ground to survey spectators and gathering data about their travel and spending habits.

Guests of honour

Uachtarán na hÉireann, Catherine Connolly, will make her first official visit to Croke Park on football final Sunday since her election. Archbishop of Cashel & Emly, Dr Kieran O’Reilly will attend as Patron of the GAA, honouring the title original bestowed on Archbishop TW Croke in 1884.

The match will also feature the Jubilee team winners from Galway, All-Ireland champions when they defeated Meath in the 2001 decider.

The Entertainment

Musicians Colm Lynch and Paul McDonell will perform from a stage above the GAA Museum from 1:30 to 3pm.

The GAA encourages supporters attending Sunday’s football final to join us at Croke Park early for 'The Warm Up Show' which takes place between 2 and 3pm and which will be streamed live and free around the world on the GAA’s YouTube and @OfficialGAA social media channels.

Aisling O’Reilly and Dave McIntyre will host the show in the company of Marc Ó Sé and Padraig O’Hora amongst others, and there will be plenty of interaction with fans, special guests, prize giveaways and of course a special focus on the Jubilee Team from 2001 - Galway - on football’s biggest day.

Giant flags, drummers and flames will complete the build-up. As is tradition, the teams will march behind the Artane Band, and they will perform Amhrán na bhFiann before throw-in at 3.30pm with this year marking the centenary of the song being officially adopted as the national anthem.

The Defence Forces will supply a colour party of flag bearers.