Yule be ready: All-Ireland finals to be played just days before Christmas

The All-Ireland Hurling Final will be played just before Christmas this year and the championship will revert to the back-door system for this year only.

In what is sure to be a novelty for a final, the GAA has confirmed in the last few minutes that this year’s hurling final will be played in Croke Park on Sunday, December 13.

Both All-Ireland Series are set to resume on October 17, when the league will restart. Once completed, in what the GAA hope is three weeks, the championship proper will begin in early November.

The GAA have confirmed the hurling championship will contain a backdoor format last seen in the 2017 championship, meaning each losing team will get a second bite of the cherry. The provincial champions will go straight to the All-Ireland semi-final, and provincial losers will the back door winners at the quarter-finals stage, to see who progresses to the last four

The football championship will be a straight knock-out through the existing provincial systems. There will be no replays, with penalties deciding results if necessary on the day, and only the four provincial winners going through to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

The football final is set to be played on Saturday, 19 December.