Laois footballers will get Tailteann Cup campaign up and running against Waterford
The Tailteann Cup Photo: ©INPHO/James Crombie
THE draw for this year's Tailteann Cup has been made and Laois have been placed in Group B along with Offaly, Wicklow and Waterford.
Laois have had a mixed fortunes in the competition since its inauguration in 2022. That year the competition was ruin on a knock out basis and Laois made an early exit losing out to Westmeath in the first round.
The following year the group stages were introduced and Laois benefitted advancing to the semi-final and final, coincidentally losing to Down on both occasions. Down went on to be crowned Tailteann Cup winners last year.
Automatic qualification for the 2026 All-Ireland championship is the major prize on offer for the Tailteann Cup champions. The 2025 champions will win an automatic place in next year's 16-team All-Ireland series.
Each team in a group plays the other teams in their group once; each team gets one home fixture, one away and one neutral.
Laois will kick off this year’s Tailteann Cup campaign with a home game against Waterford on Saturday/Sunday 10/11 May.
Round 2 will see Laois travel to Wicklow the following weekend, Saturday/Sunday 17/18 May.
The then have a two week break before taking on Offaly at a neutral venue on Saturday 31 May or Sunday 1 June.
Following the league section the top team in each of the four groups will secure a home quarter-final place.
The second-placed teams will be at home in the preliminary quarter-finals where they will be joined by three highest-ranked third-placed teams and New York, who enter the Tailteann Cup at that stage of the competition.
The preliminary quarter-finals will be played on 7/8 June and the quarter-finals will be played a week later.
The Tailteann Cup semi-finals will be played on Sunday 22 June and the final on Sunday 13 July, with these fixtures played in Croke Park.
Kildare, Sligo, Leitrim, Tipperary
Offaly, Laois, Wicklow, Waterford
Westmeath, Limerick, Antrim, London
Fermanagh, Wexford, Carlow, Longford
Laois v Waterford - 10/11 May (home)
Laois v Wicklow - 17/18 May (away)
Laois v Offaly - 31 May/1 June (neutral venue)
7/8 June Quarter-Finals: 14/15 June
21/22 June
12/13 July
