Longford will face Westmeath in the 2026 O’Byrne Cup.
The competition for Leinster teams gets underway on January third. If Longford get past Westmeath, they will face Louth on Wednesday January seventh.
In a change from previous years, the games have been shortened to 60 minutes. Whereas, matches which finish level at full-time will go straight to penalties.
In, further changes, unlimited substitutions will also be allowed. Whereas, a Shield competition will ensure that every county gets to play at least two games.
Indeed, Ger Brennan’s first game as Dublin football manager will be away to Laois on Saturday, January 3. The O'Byrne cup final is set for January 16 a week before the Allianz league is due to begin
2026 O’Byrne Cup fixtures
Round 1: Saturday, January 3rd
Laois v Dublin
Wexford v Kildare
Carlow v Offaly
Wicklow v Meath
Longford v Westmeath
Louth – Bye
Quarter-finals: Wednesday, January 7th
1 – Winners of Carlow/Offaly v Winners of Wicklow/Meath
2 – Winners of Longford/Westmeath v Louth
Semi-finals: Saturday, January 10th
Winners of Wexford/Kildare v Winners of Laois/Dublin
Winners of quarter-final 1 v Winners of quarter-final 2
Final: Friday, January 16th
