CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS | THE ROAD AHEAD
From Group Stages to Knockout, the road ahead takes shape
With the group stages of the 2026 Roscommon Club Football Championships now complete, the picture is becoming clearer across the Hodson Bay Group Senior Football Championship, McNulty Furniture Intermediate Football Championship and King & Moffatt Junior ‘A’ Football Championship.
For some clubs, a place in the Quarter-Finals has already been secured. For others, there are Preliminary Quarter-Finals and play-offs still to negotiate, while the battle to retain championship status will also continue through the relegation series.
| Championship | Group Winners | Second Place | Preliminary QF / Play-Off | Relegation |
Hodson Bay Group SFC | St Brigid’s Pádraig Pearses Oran | Strokestown Boyle Castlerea St Kevin’s | Elphin v Michael Glaveys Roscommon Gaels v North Roscommon | Clann na nGael St Faithleachs Western Gaels |
| McNulty Furniture IFC | St Dominic’s Creggs Éire Óg | Tulsk Lord Edwards St Michael’s Kilmore | St Brigid’s B Shannon Gaels Fuerty | St Barry’s Pádraig Pearses B St Croan’s |
| King & Moffatt JFC | Clann na nGael B Kilglass Gaels St Aidan’s | Ballinameen Western Gaels B Kilbride | Boyle B St Ronan’s St Brigid’s C | Roscommon Gaels B St Dominic’s B* |
A number of draws will now be required to determine the next stage of the competitions. These will take place tomorrow evening, Monday, 31st August, and will be overseen by the Roscommon GAA Competitions Control Committee (CCC).
Senior Preliminary Quarter-Finals
The Senior Football Championship Preliminary Quarter-Final pairings are predetermined under the 2026 Competition Regulations and therefore do not require a draw.
Preliminary Quarter-Final 1: Elphin v Michael Glaveys
Preliminary Quarter-Final 2: Roscommon Gaels v North Roscommon
Dates, times and venues for both games will be confirmed.
Intermediate and Junior ‘A’ Play-Off Draws
In both the Intermediate and Junior ‘A’ Championships, the three teams who finished third in their respective groups will enter an open draw to determine the route to the Quarter-Finals.
In the McNulty Furniture IFC, St Brigid’s, Shannon Gaels and Fuerty will enter the draw. The first team selected will receive a bye directly to the Quarter-Finals, while the remaining two clubs will meet in a play-off to decide the eighth and final Quarter-Final place.
The same process will apply in the King & Moffatt JFC, where Boyle B, St Ronan’s and St Brigid’s C will enter the draw. Again, the first team selected will progress directly to the Quarter-Finals, with the other two teams meeting in a play-off for the remaining place.
Dates, times and venues for both play-off fixtures will be confirmed.
Relegation Draws
There is also plenty at stake at the other end of the Senior and Intermediate Championships, with relegation draws required in both grades.
In the Senior Championship, Clann na nGael, St Faithleachs and Western Gaels will enter the relegation draw, while St Barry’s, Pádraig Pearses B and St Croan’s will contest the equivalent draw at Intermediate level.
The format is the same in both competitions. All three teams will be placed in the draw, with the first team selected progressing directly to the Relegation Final. The remaining two teams will meet in a Relegation Semi-Final.
The winner of the Semi-Final will retain their championship status, while the loser will advance to the Relegation Final. The team that loses the Relegation Final will be relegated.
In the Junior ‘A’ Championship, the relegation fixture will be Roscommon Gaels B v St Dominic’s B.
*St Joseph’s cannot be relegated as they are a first team.
Dates, times and venues for the relegation fixtures will be announced in due course.
Fourth Seeded Team Draw
There will also be a draw to determine the fourth seeded team for the Quarter-Finals,
The three group winners will be seeded automatically, with one of the second-placed teams joining them as the fourth seed. An open draw will determine which second-placed team receives that seeded position in each championship.
Quarter-Final Draw and the Road to the County Finals
The Quarter-Final draw will also take place tomorrow night for each championship, establishing the knockout pathway from the Quarter-Finals through to the Semi-Finals.
The draw will determine which Quarter-Final winners will meet in the Semi-Finals. For example, it could produce:
QF1 winner v QF4 winner – Semi-Final 1
QF2 winner v QF3 winner – Semi-Final 2
This will fix the knockout pathway in each championship.
However, the individual teams cannot be allocated to QF1, QF2, QF3 or QF4 until the Preliminary Quarter-Finals and relevant play-offs have been completed and all eight Quarter-Finalists are known in each championship.
Once those games have concluded, the Quarter-Final line-up can be finalised in accordance with the competition regulations.
Full details of dates, times and venues will be confirmed by Roscommon CCC and will be updated on the Roscommon GAA social media channels.