BREAKING: Laois footballers' Round 1 Tailteann Cup opponents confirmed

Oisin McConville and Justin McNulty shake hands after Laois' 0-11 to 0-10 victory over Wicklow in Aughrim. Picture: Sportsfile

placeholder image — Oisin McConville and Justin McNulty shake hands after Laois' 0-11 to 0-10 victory over Wicklow in Aughrim. Picture: Sportsfile

Former Armagh All-Ireland winners set to meet again in Portlaoise

Justin McNulty's Laois senior footballers will welcome Wicklow to Portlaoise in the first round of this year's Tailteann Cup.

McNulty will be facing off against his former Armagh teammate Oisin McConville. The pair won an All-Ireland medal with their county in 2002, with McConville scoring 1-2 against Kerry in the decider.

The Tailteann Cup is being run under a new format in 2026, the same one that is used in the Laois Senior Football Championship. There are no groups anymore, with the 16 teams facing off with eight Round 1 ties.

Laois were the third team drawn out of the bowl, and it gives them a home game against Wicklow in Laois Hire O'Moore Park. Laois were knocked out of the Leinster Championship by Kildare in Newbridge, while Wicklow pushed Dublin all the way in Aughrim and only lost by two points.

The eight winners from the opening round will meet each other in Round 2A, while the eight teams beaten in Round 1 will drop into Round 2B. New York, the 17th team in the competition, enters the championship at Round 4.

From Round 2A, three of the four winners will progress directly to the quarter-finals. The remaining Round 2A winner, decided by a draw, will instead face New York in Round 4. In Round 2B, any team that suffers a second defeat will be eliminated from the championship.

The four Round 2B winners will then join the four Round 2A losers in Round 3.

From Round 3, the four winners, along with the Round 4 winner involving New York and the three Round 2A qualifiers, will complete the quarter-final lineup.

Most Round 1 matches are set for the weekend of May 9–10.

However, fixtures involving teams exiting their provincial championships on May 2–3 will be played the following weekend of May 16–17. Round 2 is fixed for May 23–24, with both Round 3 and Round 4 scheduled for June 6–7.