2023 Tailteann Cup

The 2023 Tailteann Cup was the second edition of the Tailteann Cup and is the second-tier of Gaelic football for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is the first-tier trophy). It was contested by seventeen teams who failed to reach their provincial final including New York. These teams initially competed in their provincial championship and if they reached their provincial final, they continued in the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, progressing to the All-Ireland group stage.

The final was played on 15 July 2023 at Croke Park in Dublin, between Meath and Down. Meath won after defeating Down 2–13 to 0–14.

Cup format
The 17 teams who competed in the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship but did not qualify for the round-robin group stages compete in the Tailteann Cup. Limerick and Meath enter the Tailteann Cup for the first time.

advance directly to the preliminary quarter-finals. The other 16 teams are drawn into four groups of four teams. Seeding is determined by placing in the 2023 National Football League (after promotion and relegation is applied and after division finals take place).

The Group Stage is divided into four groups of four teams, with each team in a group playing the other teams in their group once; each team gets one home fixture, one away and one neutral. Teams are awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw.

The four preliminary quarter-finals will consist of the second-placed teams receiving home advantage against and the three third-placed teams with the best record. At the quarter-final stage the four group winners play the four preliminary quarter-final winners.

The semi-finals and final are played in Croke Park. All knock-out matches are winner on the day. The winner of the 2023 Tailteann Cup qualify for the group stage of 2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship regardless of their league position.

Teams by province
The participating teams, listed by province, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the 2023 National Football League before the championship were:

Britain (1)


 * Colours_of_London.svg London (32)

Connacht (1)


 * Colours_of_Leitrim.svg Leitrim (29)

Leinster (7)


 * Colours_of_Carlow.svg Carlow (30)
 * Colours_of_Laois.svg Laois (27)
 * Colours_of_Longford.svg Longford (25)
 * Colours_of_Meath.svg Meath (14) (debut)
 * Colours_of_Offaly.svg Offaly (21)
 * Colours_of_Wexford.svg Wexford (28)
 * Colours_of_Wicklow.svg Wicklow (24)

Munster (3)


 * Colours_of_Limerick.svg Limerick (18) (debut)
 * Colours_of_Tipperary.svg Tipperary (26)
 * Colours_of_Waterford.svg Waterford (31)

Ulster (4)


 * Colours_of_Antrim.svg Antrim (22)
 * Colours_of_Cavan.svg Cavan (15)
 * Colours_of_Down.svg Down (19)
 * Colours_of_Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh (16)

America (1)


 * Colors_of_New_York.svg New York (DNE)

To Championship
Relegated from the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship


 * Limerick
 * Meath

From Championship
Promoted to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship


 * Sligo
 * Westmeath

General information
Seventeen county teams competed in the Tailteann Cup:

Group stage seeding
Numbers in brackets indicate ranking in the 2023 NFL.

Pot 1
 * Colours_of_Meath GAA.svg Meath (14)
 * Colours_of_Cavan.svg Cavan (15)
 * Colours_of_Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh (16)
 * Colours_of_Limerick.svg Limerick (18)

Pot 2
 * Colours_of_Down.svg Down (19)
 * Colours_of_Offaly.svg Offaly (21)
 * Colours_of_Antrim.svg Antrim (22)
 * Colours of Longford GAA.svg Wicklow (24)

Pot 3
 * Colours_of_Longford GAA.svg Longford (25)
 * Colours of Longford GAA.svg Tipperary (26)
 * Colours_of_Laois.svg Laois (27)
 * Colours_of_Wexford.svg Wexford (28)

Pot 4
 * Colours_of_Leitrim.svg Leitrim (29)
 * Colours_of_Carlow.svg Carlow (30)
 * Colours_of_Waterford.svg Waterford (31)
 * Colours_of_London.svg London (32)

New York (33) enter the Tailteann Cup at the preliminary quarter-final stage.

Knockout stage seeding
The preliminary quarter-final draw took place on 4 June 2023 on RTÉ Radio 1.

Seeded into quarter-finals
 * Colours_of_Cavan.svg Cavan (1st Group 1)
 * Colours_of_Limerick.svg Limerick (1st Group 2)
 * Colours_of_Meath GAA.svg Meath (1st Group 3)
 * Colours_of_Antrim.svg Antrim (1st Group 4)

Seeded into preliminary quarter-finals
 * Colours_of_Offaly.svg Offaly (2nd Group 1)
 * Colours_of_Down.svg Down (2nd Group 2)
 * Colours_of_Carlow.svg Carlow (2nd Group 3)
 * Colours_of_Fermanagh.svg Fermanagh (2nd Group 4)

Unseeded in preliminary quarter-finals
 * Colours_of_Laois.svg Laois (3rd Group 1)
 * Colours_of_Longford GAA.svg Longford (3rd Group 3)
 * Colours_of_Wexford.svg Wexford (3rd Group 4)
 * Colors of New York.svg New York (automatically placed in preliminary quarter-finals)

Scoring events

 * Widest winning margin: 22 points
 * Down 8-16 - 2-12 Laois (Semi Final)
 * Most goals in a match: 10
 * Down 8-16 - 2-12 Laois (Semi Final)
 * Most points in a match: 35
 * Meath 2-23 – 0-12 Wexford (quarter-final)
 * Most goals by one team in a match: 8
 * Down 8-16 - 2-12 Laois (Semi Final)
 * Most points by one team in a match: 25
 * Cavan 2-25 - 2-09 Offaly (Round 3)
 * Highest aggregate score: 58 points
 * Down 8-16 - 2-12 Laois (Semi Final)
 * Lowest aggregate score: 25 points
 * Carlow 0-15 — 0-10 New York (preliminary quarter final)

Miscellaneous

 * Meath win their 1st championship in 13 years, last winning the 2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship.
 * Limerick and Meath will make their debuts in the Tailteann Cup.
 * Carlow and New York meet in championship football for the first time.