Division 1
Five teams remain in contention to make the Division 1 final, while four teams are still in danger of joining Derry in dropping to Division 2 next season.
Kerry and Mayo find themselves in both camps, at least mathematically. Sitting midtable on six and seven points respectively, it could go either way for them come Sunday.
Galway, Dublin and Donegal are each currently on eight points, and wins for all three would mean the two finalists would be decided on scoring difference – Galway currently leading that race on +17, ahead of Dublin on +8 and Donegal on +4. (Where two teams are level on points they are split by head-to-head record, but where three or more teams are level on points, it is scoring difference that decides the order).
Wins for Mayo and Kerry would see them out of relegation danger, and potentially into final contention.
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It’s worth noting here that a spot in the Division 1 final may not be as enticing as it sounds. Unlike the other divisions, reaching the decider doesn’t carry the incentive of promotion, so really it’s just another fixture in an already condensed intercounty calendar, with the provincial championships looming large on the horizon.
At the other end of the table, Derry’s fate is already sealed, they’re playing in Division 2 next season.
Northern neighbours Tyrone and Armagh are battling to get away from that second relegation spot, and if they both get wins this weekend could pull Mayo and Kerry into that fight (if the two fence-sitters lose their respective fixtures).
If both Armagh and Tyrone lose then Malachy O’Rourke & co go down due to the result of their head-to-head meeting when Kieran McGeeney’s side won by eight points. If one wins and the other loses, the loser joins Derry in Division 2.
Fixtures: (all Sunday, 3.45pm) Tyrone v Dublin, Armagh v Derry, Galway v Kerry, Mayo v Donegal.
Division 2
Monaghan lead Division 2 on 10 points, and facing second-from-the-bottom Down on Sunday has them looking likely to climb to the top flight for 2026.
Also in contention for promotion are Roscommon, Meath and Cavan, all on eight points. They’ll all be looking for wins hoping to break away from that eight-point glut. In a situation where Monaghan take the first promotion spot, if only one of those three get a win then they’ll see themselves up to Division 1. If two of the counties win, promotion will go to the winner of their earlier league meeting, and wins for all three would see us resort to scoring difference.
Down and Louth (both on four points) need to win this weekend, and even that may not be enough for one of them to avoid the drop. Losses for both would see Down relegated by virtue of their one-point defeat to Louth in Round 4. Should they both win, and Cork suffer a defeat to Cavan, then it’s a three-way scoring-difference shoot-out.
Fixtures: (all Sunday, 1.30pm) Cavan v Cork, Louth v Meath, Monaghan v Down, Westmeath v Roscommon.
Division 3
Another division with a lot of moving parts. Offaly lead the charge for promotion on 10 points, two clear of Kildare and Sunday’s opponents Clare. A win for the Faithful would push them up to Division 2 next year, while a win for Clare would make the result of Kildare v Antrim all the more relevant. Should Clare and Kildare win, they would join Offaly on 10 points and the two promotion spots would be decided on, you guessed it, scoring difference.
A win for Clare and a loss for Kildare, or vice versa, would hand the winner the promotion spot, while losses for both would open the door for Fermanagh and Laois, who meet in Enniskillen on Sunday.
Should both Clare and Kildare lose their respective games, a win for Fermanagh would see them snatch the second promotion spot (alongside Offaly), while a win for Laois would create a scoring-difference shoot-out between themselves, the Banner and the Lilywhites.
In the relegation race, there’s no saving Leitrim. With no points to their credit after six rounds, they’re heading to Division 4. Joining them could be Antrim, Sligo or Laois. A loss for Antrim against Kildare would make all other results irrelevant, sending them down to Division 4 for next year.
Fixtures: (all Sunday, 2pm) Clare v Offaly, Fermanagh v Laois, Kildare v Antrim, Sligo v Leitrim.
Division 4
No relegation ‘round these parts, so all we have to worry about is our two promoted teams, one of whom – Wexford – has already been decided. John Hegarty’s men have registered six wins from their six games to date, earning them a stress-free closing round.
Candidates to join them in Division 3 next season are Limerick and Wicklow, the Shannonsiders currently one point to the good, meaning if they beat Waterford on Sunday they’ll be promoted regardless of Wicklow’s result against Tipperary.
A loss for Limerick and a win for Wicklow gives the promotion spot to Oisín McConville’s charges, but a draw for Wicklow would bring it down to scoring difference between the two counties seeing as their Round 6 clash ended in a draw.
Fixtures: (all Sunday, 1pm) Limerick v Waterford, London v Carlow, Longford v Wexford, Tipperary v Wicklow.
Tailteann Cup
Aside from promotion and relegation, the final league standings will also determine whether counties compete for the Sam Maguire or the Tailteann Cup this year.
Competing for Sam in 2025 will be the four provincial winners (first seeds), the four provincial runners-up (second seeds), and the eight highest-ranked counties from the league that don’t qualify as provincial finalists (top four being third seeds, next four being fourth seeds).
Last year’s Tailteann Cup winners Down automatically qualify for the top-flight championship regardless of where they end up in the league. If they don’t qualify by virtue of reaching the Ulster final or their league placement, they’ll take one of the fourth-seed spots.
How the provincial championships pan out will have a huge role to play in what counties qualify through those eight league-based places, but teams in the Division 2 grey area will want to finish as high up the table as possible to give themselves the best chance of avoiding the Tailteann Cup ranks.
