All-Ireland football semi-finals: Throw-in times, where to watch and ticket details

Irish Times

13 hours ago

What's happening?
This year's two
All-Ireland SFC
semi-finals will be played as part of two Croke Park double-headers on Saturday and Sunday.
First up, Munster champions
Kerry
take on
Tyrone
at 5pm on Saturday, coming after the Tailteann Cup final between Kildare and Limerick at 2.30pm.
On Sunday, the All-Ireland junior football final (throw-in, 1.30pm) is the opener for
Meath
and
Donegal
's semi-final, throwing in at 4pm.
Where can I watch?
Both semi-finals will be televised live on RTÉ and BBC Northern Ireland, while RTÉ will also have coverage of Saturday's Tailteann Cup decider. For those further afield, the games will be streamed on GAA+.
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How did the counties get here?
Kerry
Another year, another Munster title for Kerry. The Kingdom's championship kicked off with a narrow win over Cork in the Munster semi-final, followed by a return to normal scheduling with an 11-point demolition of Clare in the provincial decider.
Kerry's David Clifford in action against Clare's Cillian Brennan during the Munster final. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Group 2 had been going swimmingly for Jack O'Connor's side, landing wins over Roscommon and Cork, until Meath pulled off the ultimate final-round coup to top the group and send Kerry to the preliminary quarter-finals as the second-placed team.
Tyrone have sneaked in somewhat under the radar, which may not be a bad thing given the fate met by the counties considered to be favourites
That game saw them ease past Cavan in Killarney to set up their quarter-final showdown with reigning champions Armagh. Underdogs going in, but top dogs coming out: a masterclass from Seán O'Shea, David Clifford and others saw an end to Armagh's season and put Kerry in the semi-finals.
Tyrone
Tyrone have sneaked in somewhat under the radar, which may not be a bad thing given the fate met by the counties considered to be favourites in the early stages. Malachy O'Rourke's men started with an Ulster quarter-final win over Cavan, but then came a one-point loss to Armagh in the last four.
Tyrone's Darren McCurry celebrates a score during the Group 1 game against Donegal in Ballybofey. Photograph: John McVitty/Inpho
Group 1 saw two wins against Donegal and Cavan but also a loss against Mayo. Still, it was enough to top the group and proceed straight to the quarter-finals, where Tyrone showed composure against Dublin, putting in a strong finish to win 0-23 to 0-16.
Donegal
Whether you're in the Jimmy's Winning Matches or Jimmy's Whinging Matches camp, Donegal are the favourites to claim Sam Maguire. They've had a long road to get here, starting with a preliminary quarter-final in Ulster, defeating Derry, Monaghan and Down on their way to an epic Ulster final win over Armagh after extra time.
Like Tyrone, Group 1 held two wins and a loss for Jim McGuinness's side they finished with a dramatic one-point win over Mayo at Dr Hyde Park to knock the Connacht side out of the championship.
Michael Murphy with the Anglo-Celt Cup in the Donegal dressing room after their Ulster final win over Armagh. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Finishing second in the group, Donegal had a home preliminary quarter-final against Louth, strolling to a 2-22 to 0-12 win at Ballybofey. In the quarter-finals, Monaghan proved formidable opponents, leading by seven points at the break, but some rousing half-time words from McGuinness proved effective as the Ulster champions ran out six-point winners.
Meath
While Dublin may be the story of the hurling championship this year, Meath are their footballing counterparts. What a year so far for Robbie Brennan's team. Meath's journey through Leinster brought wins over Carlow and Offaly, before the first big upset of the season, a 0-23 to 1-16 win over Dublin in the provincial semi-final.
Meath's Eoghan Frayne celebrates after the Leinster semi-final win over Dublin. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Having despatched the reigning Leinster champions, Louth were the final hurdle separating Meath from a first provincial title since 2010, but that particular hurdle proved insurmountable. However, the Royals rallied, topping Group 2 after a win over Cork, a draw against Roscommon and finishing with a spectacular nine-point win over Kerry.
Group 2 had been going swimmingly for Jack O'Connor's side, landing wins over Roscommon and Cork, until Meath pulled off the ultimate final-round coup
That earned them a quarter-final against Galway, when they pulled off yet another surprise, beating last year's All-Ireland finalists in a dramatic finish, 2-16 to 2-15.
Are tickets still available?
Tickets for the two double-headers went on sale last week. As of Monday morning, tickets remained available for both Saturday and Sunday's fixtures.