2021 GAA Football and Hurling Championship Draws: Munster, Connacht, Leinster and Ulster pairings decided
The 2021 GAA Championships get underway in June, with the All-Ireland hurling and football finals on August 22 and 29 respectively. Watch the action live on Sky Sports.
Thursday 22 April 2021 09:43, UK
The draws for the 2021 Munster, Connacht, Leinster and Ulster Championships have been made.
Due to time constraints, the race for the Sam Maguire Cup will be staged on a straight knockout basis once again this year. Meanwhile, the All-Ireland Hurling Championship will be held in a similar format to 2020.
Ulster Football Championship
Donegal and Down will face off in the preliminary round, with Derry lying in wait for the winner.
In the other quarter-finals, Armagh face Antrim, Monaghan are up against Fermanagh while Tyrone take on reigning champions Cavan.
Leinster Hurling Championship
Recently-promoted Antrim will take on Dublin in the first round. The winner will face Galway in the semi-final.
Meanwhile, Kilkenny are on the other side of the draw. The Cats will face Wexford or Laois in the last four.
Leinster Football Championship
In the quarter-finals, Dublin will open their account against Wicklow or Wexford, who face off in the first round.
Kildare will be up against the winner of Mickey Harte's Louth and Offaly. Meath lie in wait for Carlow or Longford, while Laois face Westmeath in the final quarter-final.
A draw for the last four will be made after the quarter-finals.
Connacht Football Championship
Reigning champions Mayo open the campaign against Sligo, who did not compete in last year's championship due to Covid-19 issues. Leitrim lie in wait for the winners of that first-round showdown.
On the other half, Roscommon and Galway face off in an all-Division 1 clash.
Munster Hurling Championship
Reigning Munster and All-Ireland champions Limerick will open their championship campaign against 2018 winners Cork.
Tipperary, the 2019 All-Ireland winners, must wait to learn their semi-final opponents, with Waterford and Clare drawn together in the first round. The winner of the clash between the Déise and Banner will progress to face the Premier County.
Meanwhile, the trophy for the competition has been renamed as the Mick Mackey Cup.
Munster Football Championship
Reigning champions Tipperary will open their 2021 campaign against either Kerry or Clare. The Premier secured a historic triumph last November, sealing their first title in 85 years with a dramatic victory over Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Munster's traditional 'big two' of Cork and Kerry have been drawn on opposite sides of the bracket.
The Kingdom will be looking to bounce back after their early exit in 2020, opening against the Banner County.
Meanwhile, the Rebels will face Waterford or Limerick in their semi-final.
Both of last year's finalists were seeded to avoid a quarter-final in this year's competition.
Joe McDonagh, Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups
Hurling's lower-tier competitions will be staged on a round-robin format, each with two groups.
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