FAI National Cup Competitions – Aligned Calendar Update
Please be advised that the Football Association of Ireland can confirm a strategic change to its competitions calendar, which will see its major amateur & youth men’s cup competitions transition from a winter season to an aligned calendar season.
Men’s amateur & youth competitions, which previously operated during the winter season, will now be scheduled within the playing months of the aligned (calendar) season. Please note that a number of national competitions will adopt a hybrid format during the transitional period.
The following competitions are included in this transition:
- FAI Intermediate Cup
- FAI Junior Cup
- FAI Oscar Traynor Trophy
- FAI Youth Cup
- FAI Youth Inter-League Cup
- FAI Under-17 Cup
- FAI Futsal Cup
Hybrid Competitions (Commencing September 2025)
From September, a number of hybrid competitions will operate to support the transition. These include:
- FAI Youth Inter-League Cup
- FAI Oscar Traynor Inter-League Cup
Leagues will participate in their respective Provincial competitions, with the winner from each province qualifying for the National semi-finals in January 2026.
Please note: Each Provincial FA will determine its qualifying format, and only one team shall progress from their province for each competition.
FAI Under 17 & Youth Cups – National Phase (From January 2026)
Both the FAI Under 17 Cup and the FAI Youth Cup will begin their National Phase with the Round of 32 in January 2026.
- Participating teams will be determined by the number of entries and progression through provincial competitions, which commence in September 2025.
- Team allocations from each province into the National Phase will be proportionate to entry levels. This will determine how far each province must progress (e.g., to a Round of 16) before national qualification. Preliminary qualifiers in December 2025 may be required to finalise the 32 teams advancing.
Additionally, several single-fixture or weekend-format competitions will be adapted to reflect the aligned season schedule, including:
- FAI Amateur Inter-Provincial Tournament
- FAI Youth Inter-Provincial Tournament
- FAI Tom Hand Memorial Cup
It should be noted that a number of competitions already operate on a calendar season basis, including all FAI Women’s National Cup Competitions.
Please also note that all clubs entering FAI National Cup Competitions must have achieved a minimum of the FAI Club Mark – Entry Level. Clubs that do not meet this requirement will not be eligible to participate.
Please find below the 2026 competition dates for the FAI National Cups for your information.
Online entry forms for the relevant competitions will open in December and remain open until January 2026. Once the entry forms are live, they will be shared with all leagues for distribution to clubs.
Kindly be aware that all dates provided are provisional week-ending dates and may be subject to change if required.
