Thirty two teams contest the championship. New York and London do not participate in this competition. Kilkenny fielded a team in 2016 despite not having participated in 2015.
Format
Provincial Championships Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster organise four provincial championships. Each province determines the format for deciding their champions and may be league, group, knock-out, double-elimination, etc. or a combination. For clarity, the format is explained in the provincial sections below. All-Ireland The four provincial winners play the four provincial runners-up in the All-Ireland quarter finals. Two semi-finals follow and a final which is normally played before the All-Ireland senior final on the third Sunday in September. All matches are knock-out.
All twelve Leinster teams compete in the preliminary round of the main draw. The six beaten teams enter the losers' section and, after four play-off matches, two teams re-enter the main draw at the quarter-final stage. From the quarter-finals onwards all matches are knock-out.
Leinster Main Draw
Leinster Losers' Rounds 1 and 2
The six beaten teams in the preliminary round of the main draw play-off in four matches. Two teams from the losers' section re-enter the main draw at the quarter-final stage.
All six Munster teams compete in the three quarter-finals of the main draw. The three beaten teams enter the play-off section and, after two play-off matches, one team re-enters the main draw at the semi-final stage. From the semi-finals onwards all matches are knock-out.
Munster Main Draw
Munster Playoff Rounds 1 and 2
The three beaten teams in the quarter-finals of the main draw play-off in two matche. One team from the play-offs re-enters the main draw at the semi-final stage.
All nine Ulster teams compete. The fixtures mirror the senior fixtures i.e. if Derry are drawn to play Tyrone in their first match in the senior championship then Derry minors play Tyrone minors in their first match. Often the minor teams play immediately before the seniors. All matches are knock-out. The winners receive the Fr. Murray Cup.
There is no draw for the semi-finals as the fixtures are pre-determined on a three yearly rotation. This rotation ensures that a provinces's champions play the champions of all the other provinces once every three years in the semi-finals if they each win their quarter-finals. If a provincial winner loses their quarter final, then the provincial runner-up who beat them takes their place in the semi-final. ----
