Ulster counties get set for a new league campaign

With the shadowboxing of early January now over, it's time for the 2026 GAA inter-county season to fully begin with the opening round of the National Leagues just days away.

Last year, Kerry claimed the Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Memorial Cup as Division One winners before completing the sweep with Munster and All-Ireland titles to follow, so who will be their challengers in 2026?

The new rules in Gaelic football were the main talking point 12 months ago, but they are now very much part of the fabric with the main change in 2026 coming a little later when the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and Tailteann Cup employ a qualifier system, deviating from the group format of the past three years.

Qualification for the big prize remains the same, with the finalists from all four provincial championships and last year's Tailteann Cup winners, Kildare, making up nine of the 16 teams who will compete for Sam Maguire.

The remaining seven slots will be filled by the best placed teams in the league who have not qualified from the aforementioned path, so a strong league campaign is vital for those teams in Divisions Two and Three especially.

With so much to play for, BBC Sport NI takes a look at the Ulster counties and assesses where they sit heading into a new season.

Manager: Jim McGuinness (third season)

Last year: Fourth in Division One

Fixtures: Dublin (A), Kerry (H), Mayo (H), Armagh (A), Galway (H), Roscommon (A), Monaghan (A)

Last year's All-Ireland final defeat by Kerry stung Donegal, but there are encouraging signs for the back-to-back Ulster champions going into the league.

Silverware has already been secured in the form of the Dr McKenna Cup, but the sights will be set much higher for the year.

McGuinness used the pre-season competition to run his eye over some new faces and one huge gap to plug will be in attack due to Patrick McBrearty's retirement.

His leadership will also be missed, but with Michael Murphy back for another year, Donegal will still have their spiritual leader to look to.

Last year, Donegal made a great start to the league, winning four of their opening five games, but two subsequent defeats denied them a place in the final.

However, with an Ulster Championship opener taking place sevens days after the league decider, perhaps Donegal were quietly content to sit that one out.

This year, there will be no easing in as they open with a trip to face a Dublin side keen to impress new boss Ger Brennan before hosting Kerry in a repeat of the All-Ireland final.

Manager: Kieran McGeeny (12th season)

Last year: Sixth in Division One

Fixtures:Monaghan (A), Galway (H), Roscommon (A), Donegal (H), Mayo (A), Dublin (A), Kerry (H)

Games against Tyrone always mean a little more for Armagh and last year their league victory over the Red Hands proved crucial as it kept them in the top flight on the head-to-hear tie-breaker.

Kieran McGeeney's men went into 2025 as the team to beat due to their status as All-Ireland champions, but they are back in the challengers enclosure this year.

They enter 2026 without the services of the retired Stefan Campbell, Jemar Hall, Ciaron O'Hanlon, Ciaran Higgins and Mark Shields, with Rian O'Neill and Niall Grimley also not part of the panel as it stands.

Therefore, the search for fresh faces was a key part of their Dr McKenna Cup campaign which saw their win against Down overturned due to playing Fergal O'Brien and Aaron O'Neill, who were ineligible due to their involvement in the universities' Sigerson Cup.

Incorporating some of the emerging talent into the squad will likely continue throughout the league that begins with a bang for Armagh as they open up with a short trip to neighbours Monaghan before hosting Galway in a repeat of the 2024 All-Ireland final.

Silverware would be welcome, but with a preliminary round tie against Tyrone in Ulster to come in the first week of April, perhaps the Orchardmen will be content to retain their Division One status and unearth some new options.

Manager: Gabriel Bannigan (second season)

Last year:Division Two winners

Fixtures: Armagh (H), Roscommon (A), Dublin (A), Mayo (H), Kerry (A), Galway (H), Donegal (H)

Known as the league's great survivors, Monaghan's decade-long stint in Division One came to an end in 2024, but the Farney bounced back impressively last year to seal an immediate return with the Division Two title to boot.

It was a year in which they had to do without the retired Conor McManus and going into 2026, Gabriel Bannigan has lost further experience in Darren Hughes, Kieran Duffy and Karl O'Connell, who have decided to call it a day in county colours.

However, Scotstown's run to the Ulster club title highlighted the emerging talent in the county to compliment the experience, but those An Bhoth players are set to miss the first few rounds as they recover from club exertions.

An opening derby against Armagh is enough to whet the appetite for Monaghan's return, but the challenges don't get any easier and with Donegal, whom they fell to in Ulster and the All-Ireland series in 2025, waiting in their final game, Bannigan will be hoping they have their business done before that fixture.

Manager: Malachy O'Rourke (second season)

Last year: Seventh in Division One

Fixtures:Kildare (H), Derry (A), Cavan (H), Louth (A), Offaly (H), Meath (A), Cork (H)

Relegation is never a welcome development, but for Tyrone, they can take some comfort from the fact their demotion to Division Two this year was a result of the finest margins.

Defeat to Armagh in round two ultimately proved the difference as with both counties finishing on seven points, head-to-head was the difference, yet had they turned one of their narrow defeats by Mayo or Kerry into a win, they might well have been in the Division One final.

Therefore, looks can be deceiving, but Malachy O'Rourke's side made great strides in the championship, narrowly edged by Armagh in Ulster and then going on a run to the All-Ireland semi-final where they lost to Kerry.

The objective this year will be to win promotion and build upon a positive 2025 with a number of All-Ireland U20 winners from 2024 and 2025 pushing on, although tempered by the retirement of Conor Meyler.

An opening game against Kildare will be followed by a meeting with Derry, while the return of Mickey Harte - albeit as joint-manager of Offaly - provides plenty of intrigue.

Manager: Ciaran Menagh (first season)

Last year:Eighth in Division One

Fixtures: Meath (A), Tyrone (H), Kildare (A), Offaly (H), Cork (H), Louth (A), Cavan (H)

Since winning the Division One title in 2024, it hasn't exactly gone to plan for Derry, who finished bottom of the pile in the top tier last season and suffered relegation.

The Oak Leaf County have yet another new manager with Ciaran Meenagh - who took charge on an interim basis following the departure of Rory Gallagher in 2023 - taking over from Paddy Tally.

In Meenagh's first brief stint, Derry reached an All-Ireland semi-final and they will be hoping he is the man to revive their fortunes after a difficult championship campaign the following year with Mickey Harte - whom they will face when hosting Offaly in their fourth league game.

Menagh has confirmed that Ciaran McFaul is not part of the panel this year, but the Oak Leafers still have plenty of talent in their ranks and expect defender Eoin McEvoy to return from injury later in the year.

They open their campaign with a trip to Croke Park to face Meath on Saturday before hosting Tyrone in games which may tell us a little more about Meenagh's team.

Manager: Dermot McCabe (first season)

Last year: Fourth in Division Two

Fixtures: Cork (A), Meath (H), Tyrone (A), Kildare (H), Louth (H), Offaly (A), Derry (A)

After a spell in charge of Westmeath, Dermot McCabe returns to his native Cavan in 2026 as they seek to complete a rise from the bottom to top tier in the space of five seasons.

Last year, the Breffni Blues finished just one point short of the promotion places and will feel they can build upon that in 2026, despite the versatile Killian Clarke opting to retire.

Last year's championship campaign came to an end at the hands of eventual All-Ireland champions Kerry, but reaching the knockout phase will have served as a boost.

McCabe used the Dr McKenna Cup to run his eye over his panel and will hope they can hit the ground running this year, but face a tricky opening series of games when making the long trip to Cork, hosting All-Ireland semi-finalists Meath before an Ulster derby away to Tyrone.

They finish up away to Derry in what looks set to be a very competitive Division Two.

Manager: Conor Laverty (fourth season)

Last year: Seventh in Division Two

Fixtures:Clare (H), Limerick (A), Westmeath (H), Wexford (A), Fermanagh (H), Sligo (A), Laois (H)

Down's demotion to Division Three last season came as a result of the head-to-head tie-breaker when losing out to Louth by one point in their fourth game.

Although they gained revenge when the championship rolled around, it didn't provide any certainty in their participation in this year's race for Sam Maguire as Conor Laverty's men will know they will possibly need to finish in top spot if they are to avoid the Tailteann Cup.

It would be a blow considering the strides made last year but that is the reality, which makes this season's league campaign all the more important.

Down certainly have the tools to be considered an obvious challenger for promotion, with Micheal Rooney, Daniel Guinness, Pat Havern, Odhran Murdock and Danny Magill all now established, but they will go into the new year without the retired Caolan Mooney.

Manager Laverty has not downplayed the importance of a good start to the league against Clare this weekend and they will hope to use this game to set the tone before making the trip to Limerick the following week.

Manager:Declan Bonner (first season)

Last year: Fourth in Division Three

Fixtures: Wexford (H), Sligo (A), Clare (H), Westmeath (A), Down (A), Laois (H), Limerick (A)

Following Kieran Donnelly's resignation after four years, Fermanagh have turned to former Donegal manager and 1992 All-Ireland winner Declan Bonner to steer the Erne ship in 2026.

Much like Down, Fermanagh will view a successful league campaign as vital in order to give themselves a chance of competing in the All-Ireland SFC.

Last year, a fourth-place finish in Division Three was only good enough for a place in the Tailteann Cup where they reached the semi-finals, but they will feel they have the ability to push on this year.

Cian O'Brien, Mattie McDermott, Garvan Quigley, Shaun McCarron and Rian McGovern are some new faces Bonner has looked at during the Dr McKenna Cup as he seeks to inject a fresh impetus into the county.

Fermanagh will open with a home game against promoted Wexford and in round five, will have an Ulster derby on the road against Down.

Manager:Mark Doran (first season)

Last year: Seventh in Division Three

Fixtures: Carlow (H), Tipperary (A), Longford (H), Leitrim (A), Wicklow (H), Waterford (A), London (H)

After three seasons in the third tier, Antrim suffered demotion back to the basement division for 2026 as the Saffrons are forced to start all over again.

Mark Doran is the new man at the helm, taking over from Andy McEntee, who stepped down after three seasons.

The Down native has managed to bring back some old faces including Tomas McCann, Paddy McAleer, John Carron and Creggan's Small brothers, Conor and Kevin.

The Saffrons will hope that experience will serve them well in the league as they seek to once again scrap their way out of Division Four.

A home game against Carlow is their first assignment and with four games on their own patch, they will seek to take full advantage to give themselves a chance of reaching their goal.