| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Province | Leinster |
| Year | 2026 |
| Trophy | Bob O'Keeffe Cup |
| Date | 18 April – 6 June 2026 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Defending champions | |
| Winners | |
| Champions | |
| Manager | Micheál Donoghue |
| Captain | Darren Morrissey |
| Qualify for | Leinster SHC Final All-Ireland SHC |
| Promotion/Relegation | |
| Relegated team(s) | |
| Other | |
| Website | Leinster GAA |
The 2026 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship was the 2026 installment of the annual Leinster Senior Hurling Championship organised by Leinster GAA.[1]
Galway wont the title for the 4th time, their first since 2018 after defeating Dublin in the final on 6 June.[2]
Format
Group stage (15 matches)
Each team play each other once. The 1st and 2nd placed teams advance to the Leinster SHC final and the 3rd placed team advances to the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals. All other teams are eliminated from the championship and the bottom placed team is relegated to the following year's Joe McDonagh Cup.
Final (1 match)
The top 2 teams in the group stage contest this game. The Leinster champions advance to the All-Ireland SHC semi-finals and the Leinster runners-up advanced to the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals.
Team Changes
To Championship
Promoted from the Joe McDonagh Cup
From Championship
Relegated to the Joe McDonagh Cup
Teams
General Information
Six counties will compete in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship:
| County | Last Championship Title | Last All-Ireland Title | Position in 2025 Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1938 | 3rd | |
| 2018 | 2017 | Runners-up | |
| — | — | Champions (Joe McDonagh Cup) | |
| 2025 | 2015 | Champions | |
| 1995 | 1998 | 5th | |
| 2019 | 1996 | 4th |
Personnel and kits
| County | Manager | Captain(s) | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niall Ó Ceallacháin | Chris Crummey | Staycity | |
| Micheál Donoghue | Darren Morrissey | Supermac's | |
| Brian Dowling | Rian Boran | Brady Family Ham | |
| Derek Lyng | TJ Reid | Avonmore | |
| Johnny Kelly | Charlie Mitchell | Glenisk | |
| Keith Rossiter | Jack O'Connor | Zurich Insurance Group |
Group Stage
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SF | SA | Diff | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11-114 | 5-106 | +26 | 9 | Advance to Leinster Final | |
| 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11-125 | 9-92 | +39 | 8 | ||
| 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8-114 | 7-105 | +12 | 6 | Advance to All-Ireland Quarter-Finals | |
| 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11-105 | 5-105 | +18 | 5 | ||
| 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7-95 | 12-108 | –28 | 2 | ||
| 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3-84 | 13-122 | –68 | 0 | Relegation to Joe McDonagh Cup |
Fixtures
Round 1
| 18 April 2026 Round 1 | | 3-25 (34) - (19) 1-16 | | Galway |
| 16:30 | Stadium: Pearse Stadium Attendance: 10,489[3] |
Round 2
| 25 April 2026 Round 2 | | 5-21 (36) - (19) 1-16 | | Kilkenny |
| 18:30 | Stadium: UPMC Nowlan Park Attendance: 13,576 |
Round 3
| 9 May 2026 Round 3 | | 1-22 (25) - (34) 4-22 | | Newbridge |
| 15:30 | Stadium: Cedral St Conleth's Park |
Round 4
| 16 May 2026 Round 4 | Galway | 0-21 (21) – (24) 3-15 | | Galway |
| 16:30 | Report | Stadium: Pearse Stadium Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork) |
| 16 May 2026 Round 4 | Offaly | 2-21 (27) – (21) 2-15 | | Tullamore |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Glenisk O'Connor Park |
| 16 May 2026 Round 4 | Kilkenny | 4-25 (37) – (14) 0-14 | | Kilkenny |
| 18:00 | TJ Reid 2-6 (0-3f), H Shine 1-2, E Cody 1-2, M Keoghan 0-4, T Phelan 0-3, L Moore 0-2; C Kenny, P Deegan, D Blanchfield, A Mullen, T Clifford, K Doyle 0-1 each | Report | Darragh Melville 0-3, Jack Sheridan 0-2fs, Gerry Keegan 0-2, Cathal Dowling 0-2; Dan O'Meara, Conan Boran, Jack Travers, James Burke, Muiris Curtin 0-1 each | Stadium: UPMC Nowlan Park Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Wexford) |
Round 5
| 24 May 2026 Round 5 | | 1-26 (29) - (22) 0-22 | | Dublin |
| 14:00 | Stadium: Parnell Park |
Leinster Final
Stadia and Locations
| County | Location | Province | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral venue | Dublin | Leinster | Croke Park | 82,300 |
| Donnycarney | Leinster | Parnell Park | 8,500 | |
| Galway | Connacht | Pearse Stadium | 26,197 | |
| Newbridge | Leinster | St Conleth's Park | 15,000 | |
| Kilkenny | Leinster | Nowlan Park | 27,000 | |
| Tullamore | Leinster | Glenisk O'Connor Park | 20,000 | |
| Wexford | Leinster | Chadwicks Wexford Park | 18,000 |
Statistics
Top Scorers
- Overall
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| 10 |
In a single game
| Rank | Player | County | Tally | Total | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 | |||||
| 9 | |||||
| 10 |
Scoring Events
- Widest winning margin: 23 points
- Most goals in a match: 6
- Most points in a match: 51
- Most goals by one team in a match: 5
- Most points by one team in a match: '37
- Highest aggregate score: 68 points
- Lowest aggregate score: 42 points
See also
References
- "Leinster GAA Senior Hurling Championship 2025". Leinster GAA. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- "Galway take Leinster glory after clinical defeat of Dubs". RTE Sport. 7 June 2026. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- "Lightning strikes twice as Galway hammer Kilkenny to start Leinster campaign". The Journal. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
- "Late Burke point earns Dublin draw in pulsating clash with four-goal Offaly". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 19 April 2026.