2026 Nicky Rackard Cup

2026 Nicky Rackard Cup
Corn Niocláis Mhic Riocaird
Tournament details
Level4
Year2026
TrophyNicky Rackard Cup
Dates12 April - 30 May 2026
Teams7
Winners
Champions New York (1st win)
ManagerRichie Hartnett
CaptainJohnny Glynn
Qualify forNicky Rackard Cup Knockout Stage
Runners-up
Runners-up Tyrone
ManagerStephen McGarry
CaptainAidan Kelly
Promotion/Relegation
Promoted team(s) New York
Relegated team(s) Armagh

The 2026 Nicky Rackard Cup will be the twenty-second edition of the Nicky Rackard Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005[1] and is the fourth-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is the first-tier trophy). It is contested by six GAA county teams ranked 24–30 in the 2026 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. The competition runs from 12 April to 30/31 May 2026.

Roscommon, winner of the 2025 final, were promoted to the Christy Ring Cup, replaced by Tyrone who were relegated to this competition.[2] New York were promoted from the Lory Meagher Cup.[3]

The second-placed team from the round robin stage will play off against New York in the semi-final.

The top team from the round robin stage will then play off against the semi-final winner in the final to decide the winner of the competition. The Nicky Rackard Cup Final will be played on 30/31 May 2026 at Croke Park in Dublin.

The bottom team from the round robin stage will be relegated to the Lory Meagher Cup. New York will remain in the competition for three years, during which period they must win at least one semi-final to maintain their status, or be relegated back to the Lory Meagher Cup. As such, they cannot be relegated in 2026. If New York win the cup, they will not be promoted and no team will be relegated from the Christy Ring Cup

Team changes

To Championship

Relegated from the Christy Ring Cup

Promoted from the Lory Meagher Cup

From Championship

Promoted to the Christy Ring Cup

Format

Cup format

Initially six teams play the each other five teams in single round-robin matches. The second-placed team after the round robin games will compete against New York in the Nicky Rackard Cup Semi-Final. The top team after the round robin games compete in the Nicky Rackard Cup Final.

Promotion

The Nicky Rackard Cup champions are automatically promoted to the following year's Christy Ring Cup and are replaced by the bottom-placed team in the Christy Ring Cup.

Relegation

The bottom-placed team in the Nicky Rackard Cup are automatically relegated to the following year's Lory Meagher Cup and are replaced by the Lory Meagher Cup champions.

Once promoted, New York will have a 3-year period in which to win a semi-final or they will be automatically Relegated to the next lowest Tier. Should New York win a semi-final but remain in a given Tier, a new 3-year period will commence in which they must win a semi-final or be automatically Relegated to the next lowest Tier.[5]

Teams by Province

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

Connacht (2)

Leinster (1)

Munster (0)

  • None participated

Ulster (3)

North America (1)

Teams

General Information

County Last Cup Title Last Provincial Title Last All-Ireland Title Position in 2025 Championship Appearance
Armagh 2012 — — 3rd 17th
Fermanagh — — — 6th 9th
Louth — — — 5th 18th
Mayo 2021 1909 — Runners-Up 7th
New York — — — Champions (Lory Meagher Cup) 1st
Sligo 2019 — — 4th 13th
Tyrone 2022 — — 6th (Christy Ring Cup) 16th

Personnel and kits

County Manager (s) Captain(s) Sponsor
Armagh Karl McKeegan Barry Shortt and Odhrán Curry Simplyfruit
Fermanagh Daithí Hand and Peter Galvin Ódhrán Johnston Belter Tech
Louth Paddy McArdle and Diarmuid Murphy Conor Clancy STATSports
Mayo Ray Larkin Eoghan Collins Intersport Elverys
New York Richie Hartnett Johnny Glynn Navillus Contracting
Sligo Tom Hennessey Kevin O'Kennedy and Andrew Kilcullen Clayton Hotels
Tyrone Stephen McGarry Aidan Kelly McAleer & Rushe

Group Stage

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L SF SA Diff Pts Qualification
1 Tyrone 5 5 0 0 21-84 6-89 +40 10 Advance to Final
2 Mayo 5 4 0 1 10-128 9-76 +55 8 Advance to Semi-Final
3 Sligo 5 3 0 2 8-124 10-67 +51 6
4 Louth 5 2 0 3 6-78 8-106 -34 4
5 Fermanagh 5 1 0 4 7-71 10-122 -60 2
6 Armagh (R) 5 0 0 5 9-82 18-107 -52 0 Relegated to Lory Meagher Cup

Round 1

11 April 2026 Round 1 Armagh 2-07 (13) - (31) 2-25 Mayo Armagh
13:30 Stadium: BOX-IT Athletic Grounds
Referee: Matthew Redmond
11 April 2026 Round 1 Tyrone 4-10 (22) - (15) 0-15 Sligo Garvaghey
14:00 Referee: Derek Argue
11 April 2026 Round 1 Louth 1-16 (19) - (15) 0-15 Fermanagh Dowdallshill
15:00 Stadium: Protection & Prosperity Louth CoE
Referee: Seaghan Walsh

Round 2

18 April 2026 Round 2 Fermanagh 2-20 (26) - (25) 1-22 Armagh Enniskillen
15:00 Stadium: Brewster Park
18 April 2026 Round 2 Sligo 1-31 (34) - (10) 0-10 Louth Sligo
15:00 Stadium: Markievicz Park
19 April 2026 Round 2 Mayo 1-25 (28) - (31) 5-16 Tyrone Castlebar
13:30 Stadium: Hastings Insurance MacHale Park

Round 3

25 April 2026 Round 3 Louth 2-14 (20) - (25) 1-22 Tyrone Dowdallshill
15:00 Stadium: Protection & Prosperity Louth CoE
26 April 2026 Round 3 Fermanagh 1-13 (16) - (40) 2-34 Mayo Enniskillen
14:00 Stadium: Brewster Park
26 April 2026 Round 3 Sligo 3-28 (37) - (21) 2-15 Armagh Tubbercurry
14:00 Stadium: Kilcoyne Park

Round 4

9 May 2026 Round 4 Mayo 2-22 (28) - (24) 1-21 Sligo Castlebar
13:00 Stadium: Hastings Insurance MacHale Park
9 May 2026 Round 4 Armagh 3-16 (25) - (28) 3-19 Louth Armagh
14:00 Stadium: BOX-IT Athletic Grounds
9 May 2026 Round 4 Tyrone 3-21 (30) - (19) 2-13 Fermanagh Garvaghey
14:00

Round 5

16 May 2026 Round 5 Louth 0-19 (19) - (31) 3-22 Mayo Darver
13:15 Stadium: Protection & Prosperity Louth CoE
16 May 2026 Round 5 Sligo 3-29 (38) - (16) 2-10 Fermanagh Sligo
13:15 Stadium: Markievicz Park
16 May 2026 Round 5 Tyrone 8-15 (39) - (25) 1-22 Armagh Garvaghey
13:15

Knockout Stage

Bracket

Semi-Final Final
Tyrone 2-17
New York 4-18 New York 2-22
Mayo 1-18

Semi-Final

24 May 2025 Semi-Final New York 4-18 (30) – (21) 1-18 Mayo Longford  
14:00 Venue: Glennon Brothers Pearse Park
Referee: Ciarán O'Donovan


Final

30 May 2026 Final Tyrone 2-17 (23) – (28) 2-22 New York Dublin  
13:00 (HT: 1-10 - 1-14) Venue: Croke Park
TV: Spórt TG4


Stadia and locations

Locations of the 2026 Nicky Rackard counties.
County Location Province Stadium(s) Capacity
Neutral Dublin Leinster Croke Park 82,300
Armagh Armagh Ulster Athletic Grounds 18,500
Fermanagh Enniskillen Ulster Brewster Park 20,000
Louth Drogheda Leinster Drogheda Park 3,500
Mayo Castlebar Connacht MacHale Park 25,369
New York Bronx USA Gaelic Park 2,000
Sligo Sligo Connacht Markievicz Park 18,558
Tyrone Carrickmore Ulster Páirc Colmcille
2026 Nicky Rackard Cup (New York)

Statistics

Top scorers

Overall
Rank Player County Tally Total Matches Average
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

In a single game

Rank Player County Tally Total Opposition
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Scoring events

  • Widest winning margin: 24 points
  • Most goals in a match: 9
  • Most points in a match: 47
  • Most goals by one team in a match: 8
  • Most points by one team in a match: 34
  • Highest aggregate score: 64 points
  • Lowest aggregate score: 34 points
  • Hat-trick Heros:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kelly favours relaxation of transfer rule". Irish Independent. 2004-12-09. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  2. 1 2 Gaa.ie (2025-05-31). "Nickey Rackard Cup Final: Roscommon impress at Croke Park". www.gaa.ie. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
  3. 1 2 Gaa.ie (2025-05-31). "Lory Meagher Cup Final: Historic win for New York". www.gaa.ie. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
  4. ↑ "London march into Christy Ring Cup final after thumping win against Tyrone". www.independent.ie. 2025-05-17. Retrieved 2026-04-01.
  5. ↑ Gaa.ie (2026-02-25). "Motion 17 : Annual Congress 2026: The Motions Explained". www.gaa.ie. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
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