All-Britain Football Championship

All-Britain Football Championship
Current season or competition:
2026 All-Britain Football Championship
CodeGaelic football
Founded1927; 99 years ago (1927)
Region Britain (GAA)
No. of teams7
Title holders London (42nd title)
Most titles London (42 titles)
TV partner247.tv
Official websiteGaelic Games Council of Britain website

The All-Britain Football Championship is the Gaelic football provincial championship competition in Great Britain. The British county teams compete against each other in a straight knockout format, with the winner declared "All-Britain" champions, and both the winner and the runner-up qualifying for the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship. Organised by the Provincial Council of Britain of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the championship has been contested since the official founding of Britain as a separate GAA province in 1926.

History

The Provincial Council of Britain was established in 1926 by the Central Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association, following a number of years of direct affiliation by British county boards with the GAA. With London already playing in the Irish competitive football structure, the All-Britain was set up in order to facilitate competition between the British county teams. At the 1927 GAA Congress, county teams under the remit of the British Provincial Council were allowed to compete in the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship for the first time.

London and Warwickshire have been dominant throughout the tournament's existence, owing in part to their large Irish diasporic populations. However, between 2000 and 2020 there was a much larger variance in winning counties, with all 8 participants winning during that period and only Lancashire winning three or more titles in a row. In 2021, following years of decline in the All-Ireland JFC and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the GAA Congress passed a motion completely changing the format of junior county football, resulting in Kilkenny no longer competing in the All-Britain. Since then, London and Warwickshire have resumed their dominance, playing in every final from 2022 to present.

Teams

The seven counties of Britain compete in the Championship:

All-Britain Football Championship is located in the United Kingdom
Scotland
Scotland
Lancashire
Lancashire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
London
London
County Location Stadium Year formed Position in 2026 Championship All-Britain titles
Gloucestershire Cardiff Pontcanna Fields 1959; 67 years ago Group stage 1 (2008)
Hertfordshire Watford Radlett Road 1960; 66 years ago Semi-final 3 (1965, 1972, 2000)
Lancashire Manchester Old Bedians 1926; 100 years ago Group stage 13 (1949, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016)
London Ruislip McGovern Park 1896; 130 years ago Champions 42 (1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026)
Scotland Glasgow Clydebank Sports Hub 1897; 129 years ago Semi-final 2 (2014, 2019)
Warwickshire Solihull Páirc na hÉireann 1941; 85 years ago Runner-up 20 (1946, 1951, 1955, 1957, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2021, 2023)
Yorkshire Leeds Páirc Beeston 1948; 78 years ago Group stage 4 (1961, 1983, 1996, 2001)

The counties in Britain exist as junior-level teams and do not compete in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship or Tailteann Cup (except London, who have a senior team). Unlike the ladies' football competitions, teams cannot be promoted from or relegated to the junior competition.

Kilkenny played in the All-Britain prior to the re-formatting of the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship in 2021:

County Location Stadium Year formed Position in 2026 Championship All-Britain titles
Kilkenny Kilkenny Nowlan Park 1887; 139 years ago N/A 3 (2015, 2017, 2018)

Roll of honour

Source:

List of finals

The winner (and since 2021, the runner-up) of the All-Britain qualifies for the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship:

Year Winners Score Runners-up Venue
2026 LON 1-13 1-11 WAR McGovern Park, Ruislip
2025 LON 1-14 1-13 WAR Páirc na nÉireann, Solihull
2024 LON 2-10 0-10 WAR McGovern Park, Ruislip
2023 WAR 1-18 1-15 LON Páirc na nÉireann, Solihull
2022 LON 3-14 3-8 WAR McGovern Park, Ruislip
2021 WAR 2-13 0-8 LON Páirc na hÉireann, Solihull
WAR 1-10 0-13 LON McGovern Park, Ruislip
2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019 SCO 3-12 3-11 WAR Páirc na nÉireann, Solihull
2018 KLK 6-12 0-9 WAR Páirc na nÉireann, Solihull
2017 KLK 3-15 1-6 WAR Páirc na nÉireann, Solihull
2016 LAN 1-10 2-6 LON Páirc na nÉireann, Solihull
2015 KLK 2-7 0-8 SCO Granton Road, Edinburgh
2014 SCO 3-10 2-7 WAR Páirc na nÉireann, Solihull
2013 LAN 2-12 1-11 HER
2012 LAN 2-10 0-10 LON
2011 LAN 1-11 0-4 WAR
2010 LAN 0-16 1-6 LON
2009 LON 2-6 0-10 LAN
2008 GLO 1-12 0-6 WAR
2007 LON 0-11 0-9 LAN

References

  1. ↑ "About". Provincial Council of Britain. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Mens [sic] Gaelic Football". Gaelic Games Council of Britain. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Donegan, Des (2005). The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games: A Comprehensive Record of Results and Teams (1887-2005). DBA Publications.
  4. ↑ Clubber TV (15 June 2026). London vs Warwickshire | Britain GAA Junior Football Final | 14/6/26. Retrieved 16 June 2026 – via YouTube.
  5. 1 2 McNulty, Chris (1 August 2021). "Kilcar Man Fires Warwickshire to All Britain GAA Glory". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 Dolan, Damien (21 June 2019). "Scotland GAA Set Up GoFundMe Page to Play in British Final". The Irish World. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chapman, Pat. "Ulster's Developing Years 1975-2006". ulsterladiesgaelic.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Cats get the cream in All Britain final - The Irish World". The Irish World. 5 July 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Post, Irish. "Comeback kings Lancashire land All-Britain Championship title". The Irish Post. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "London GAA: Lancashire's Perfect Storm - The Irish World". The Irish World. 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Morgan, Mary (28 June 2015). "Kilkenny Win British Junior Football Title". Kilkenny GAA. Retrieved 16 June 2026.