FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION of the four provincial football finals, we now know the identity of half the counties that will take part in the inaugural Super 8s which begin in three weeks.
There are 16 teams left in the race for the Sam Maguire, but only Kerry, Galway, Dublin and Donegal have safely secured their passage to the last eight.
Group 1 will consist of Munster winners Kerry and Connacht champions Galway. They’ll be joined by Fermanagh and Laois or the sides that beat them in Round 4 of the qualifiers.
Leinster kingpins Dublin and Ulster champions Donegal have booked their place in Group 2, with Cork and Roscommon – or their Round 4 qualifier conquerers – joining them.
In the hat for tomorrow morning’s Round 3 qualifier draw (8.30am on RTE Radio 1) are Mayo, Monaghan, Cavan, Tyrone, Kildare, Armagh, Leitrim and Clare. (See the link below for an explainer)
The four Round 3 winners will advance to play the four beaten provincial finalists in Round 4 of the qualifiers on the weekend of 7/8 July for a place in the Super 8s.
On the weekend of 14/15 July, the Super 8s will kick-off with Group 1 sides Dublin and Donegal clashing at Croke Park, while Kerry and Galway will meet in headquarters in Group 2 on the same weekend.
Super 8s
Group 1
Kerry
Galway
Fermanagh/Round 4 winner
Laois/Round 4 winner
Group 2
Dublin
Donegal
Cork/Round 4 winner
Roscommon/Round 4 winner
Each county will play three games in the round-robin phase: one at home, one in Croke Park and one away. Dublin, however, will play two games at Croke Park as it counts as their home venue.
The All-Ireland semi-finals line-up will see Group 1 winners play Group 2 runners-up and vice-versa. If teams in the groups finish level on points, scoring difference will apply before their head-to-head record comes into play.
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Who do you think will join the provincial champions in the Super 8s?
