THE prize for the winners of Saturday week’s Ulster final is a mini-Ulster championship in Group One of the All-Ireland SFC group stages.

Wednesday’s draw pits the winners of Donegal and Armagh against Tyrone and Cavan with Connacht runners up as the second seed.

Derry, who have yet to win a game in 2025, face into a group that includes Dublin, the winners of Galway and Mayo with the runner up from the Ulster final.

GROUP 1: Ulster winners, Connacht runner up, Tyrone, Cavan
GROUP 2: Munster winners, Leinster runner up,  Roscommon, Cork
GROUP 3: Leinster winners, Munster runner up, Monaghan, Down
GROUP 4: Connacht winners, Ulster runner up, Dublin, Derry

FIXTURE DATES

May 17/18 – Round 1 (involving Munster and Connacht finalists)
Seed 1 v Seed 3
Seed 2 v Seed 4

May 24/25 – Round 1  (involving Leinster and Ulster finalists)
Seed 1 v Seed 3
Seed 2 v Seed 4

The games involving the Connacht and Munster finalists will be played on May 17/18 with Leinster and Ulster finalists out the following weekend. Seeds 1 and 2 will have home venue.

May 31/June 1 – Round 2
Seed 3 v Seed 2
Seed 4 v Seed 1
Seeds three and four will play at home.

June 14/15 – Round 3
Seed 1 v Seed 2
Seed 3 v Seed 4
Games will be played at neutral venues.

June 21/11 Preliminary Quarter-Finals
The four second-placed teams from the group stage will play at home against the four third-placed teams, subject in the first instance to the avoidance of repeat provincial final pairings and where possible repeat pairings from the group stage.

June 28/29 – Quarter-Finals
The four first-place teams from the group stage play the four Preliminary Quarter-Finals winners, subject in the first instance to the avoidance of repeat provincial final pairings and where possible repeat pairings from the group stage.

July 12/13 – Semi-Finals
The four quarter-final winners shall play against each other based on a draw, subject to the avoidance of repeat pairings from the championship, where possible.

July 27 – Final (Replay, August 9)

Check out this week’s Gaelic Lives review show, looking back on the Ulster SFC semi-finals.