Here's how the All-Ireland football semi-final draw will work this Sunday

24 Jun 2026, 19:52 by Fintan O'Toole · The42

THE DRAW FOR the semi-finals of the All-Ireland senior football championship will take place on Sunday evening, in the wake of the last of this weekend’s quarter-finals between Dublin and Galway, if required.

There is only one scenario where a draw will not be needed and that is if Mayo, Tyrone and Monaghan all win their respective quarter-finals. The GAA hold an open draw at the semi-final stage and seek to avoid repeat pairings from earlier in the championship in draws, where possible. Mayo cannot face Tyrone or Monaghan again in the semi-final, so if that trio are victorious, then Mayo will take on the winners of Dublin and Galway.

Other potential semi-finals that can’t take place are Cork against Kerry, having met in the Munster final in May, and Dublin against Louth, a fixture that has already happened twice this summer in the Leinster semi-final and the All-Ireland series.

If a semi-final draw is required, it will be held live on The Sunday Game on RTÉ 2, shortly after the Dublin-Galway quarter-final.

This weekend’s quarter-final schedule at Croke Park begins with Cork against Mayo at 4pm on Saturday. Cork have not featured at the semi-final stage since 2012, Mayo’s most recent last four appearance was 2021.

The second game on Saturday at 6.15pm is Kerry, the reigning All-Ireland champions, against a Tyrone team that they defeated at the semi-final stage last year.

On Sunday at 1.45pm, Louth aim to contest a semi-final for the first time since 1957, while opponents Monaghan were most recently in the semi-final in 2023.

Then at 4pm that afternoon, it’s Dublin against Galway. Dublin last reached the semi-final stage in 2023 and Galway featured in the last four in 2024.