SATURDAY 12 APRIL
Ulster SFC quarter-final
Antrim v Armagh, Corrigan Park, 12.30pm
Leinster SFC quarter-final
Kildare v Westmeath, Cedral St.Conleth's Park, 7pm
SUNDAY 13 APRIL
Leinster SFC quarter-final
Meath v Offaly, Pairc Tailteann, 2.30pm
Wicklow v Dublin, Echelon Park, Aughrim, 2pm
Louth v Laois, Cedral St.Conleth’s Park, 3pm
Ulster SFC quarter-final
Tyrone v Cavan, Healy Park, Omagh, 4.15pm
ONLINE
Live blogs each day on RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ News app.
TV
Tyrone v Cavan is live on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and BBC2 NI. Kildare v Westmeath will be streamed live on GAA+. Highlights of the weekend's action on The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
RADIO
Live commentary and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport. Also live updates on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae.
WEATHER
Saturday: A foggy start in places, but another dry day. Perhaps cloudier than of late, particularly across the west and north. There'll be some hazy sunny spells elsewhere. Outbreaks of light rain and drizzle will move into parts of the west and north later in the day.
Sunday: A noticeably cooler day with highest temperatures of just 9 to 11 degrees. A mix of sunshine and light scattered showers on Sunday in light to moderate westerly winds.
For more go to met.ie
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When the 2025 football championship draw was made, it appeared that Armagh had what could only be considered as the most favourable first provincial outing as All-Ireland champions when they were pitted against Antrim.
The Orchard County didn't exactly shoot the lights out in the league, escaping Division 1 relegation on a head-to-head record over Tyrone, yet they finished 17 league positions ahead of an Antrim side that will scrap it out in Division 4 next year. By a distance, they were the lowest performing of the Ulster teams during the spring time.
Add to the mix a 12.30pm throw-in on a Saturday (the unusual time was to cater for Armagh fans heading to Croke Park for the women’s Division 1 final between Armagh and Kerry), and on paper it has all the hallmarks of a positive start to Kieran McGeeney’s quest to land provincial honours as manager.
Yet this game has taken on a whole new dimension courtesy of the 'Corrigan or nowhere’ movement that gathered pace once Ulster GAA confirmed the long-touted decision to fix the game for Páirc Esler, prompted by the limited capacity in Corrigan Park and the desire to cater for the large volume of Armagh season ticket holders.
Antrim immediately insisted that Corrigan Park was an appropriate venue, while manager Andy McEntee said his team would not fulfil the fixture if they were denied home advantage.
The U-turn was inevitable, with the Casement Park debacle still no closer to being resolved.
How much of a home advantage the Saffrons will enjoy is another question, with the BBC reporting on the ticketing arrangements that is likely to see Armagh supporters outnumber their hosts at the 4,000-capacity venue by approximately three to one.
The off-pitch drama could breathe more life into a game that has all the hallmarks of a David v Goliath mismatch.
Armagh, beaten on penalties in last year's Ulster decider, were without a host of players during stages of the league, which allowed the likes of Darragh McMullen and Tomas McCormack stake their claims to McGeeney.
Armagh fans don't need to dig too far back into the memory bank to remember what happened the last county to unexpectedly take Sam Maguire, with Tyrone's dismal 2022 season likely to sharpen the focus.
That said, even without the services of Rian O'Neill, they will fully expect to be a step closer to a first provincial crown since 2008 come Saturday afternoon against an Antrim side searching for a first provincial win in 11 years.
Should the Orchard County progress, they will take on the winner of the aforementioned Tyrone and Cavan, who clash in Omagh in front of the RTÉ cameras on Sunday.
The two sides almost switched divisions – Tyrone dropped out of Division 1 despite finishing with seven points while Cavan were within a whisker (they would have secured promotion had one of their failed two-point efforts at the death against Cork gone over) of returning to the top tier – yet the Red Hand hold the upperhand in championship combat.
The Breffni will look to end a 42-year winless streak against Tyrone, coming agonisingly close last year to banishing that particular hoodoo.
They whittled down an eight-point deficit to force extra-time before eventually running out of steam.
A fit Paddy Lynch – he suffered an ACL injury last April – would be a great boost for Cavan manager Raymond Galligan, while Gearoid McKiernan's return during the league served as a reminder of his importance to the county.
Tyrone have a number of injury issues to contend with themselves – Padraig Hampsey, Mark Bradley and Ben McDonnell are in contention with Conor Meyler already ruled out – as they look to make a serious assault on the Anglo-Celt Cup they last won four years ago en route to ultimate glory.
Eight will become four in Leinster this weekend.
Saturday's only fixture will see Kildare, coming off the back of a Division 3 final defeat to Offaly, up against a Westmeath side that failed to register a single win in Division 2.
Aside from Wexford - with a 100% record in Division 4 – no county had a better scoring difference than Kildare, yet accusations of brittleness surfaced again in their two defeats, to the aforementioned Faithful County and the Banner.
Then followed a deflating performance in the decider, not the ideal run-in for Brian Flanagan’s first championship outing in charge.
"I though we were flat" he said of the six-point defeat to Offaly "we didn't have the energy for some reason. I don't know the answer to that".
Yet the glass-half-empty narrative has been par for the course for the Lilywhites in recent years.
Perhaps fortunately for them they are facing a team struggling for confidence. After winning Division 3 last year, Westmeath lost to Wicklow, Armagh, Galway and Derry in the championship, followed by six defeats and a draw in this year’s league.
The last three championship contests between the counties (2016, 2021 and 2022) have been all one-score games that have gone the way of the Lilywhites.
Wicklow's "reward" for their extra-time win over Longford last weekend is welcoming Dublin to Aughrim.
It's a novel championship pairing – it’s just the third time they have met since 1990 – but given it’s a Division 1 versus Division 4 clash, the likelihood of a competitive encounter seems slim.
In 2018, 23 points separated the teams at the full-time whistle and while Dublin certainly aren’t the juggernaut they were back then, the bookmakers have the handicap at 17 points.
Wicklow manager Oisin McConville made the rallying call earlier this week for the fans to come out in their droves, something he felt was lacking during the league.
It’s a more youthful and inexperienced side this year at McConville’s disposal, who narrowly missed out on promotion after four wins from seven in Division 4.
The Dubs, with a new captain in the shape of Con O’Callaghan – Ciarán Kilkenny is vice-captain – roll into town and while questions hover over their ability to go all the way this year, it would be a shock of massive proportions if Wicklow were to improve on a league and championship record against the Boys in Blue that reads P31 L31.
In Páirc Tailteann, a Meath team dealing with backroom team departures welcome a buoyant Offaly side who will be full of beans following their Division 3 title.
The reasons behind Joe McMahon and Martin Corey leaving the Royal set-up a week out from championship haven't yet surfaced, with manager Robbie Brennan insisting the sole focus was getting over Carlow in their provincial opener.
Matters on the pitch proved far more routine, coasting past the Barrowsiders with 14 points to spare. Jack Kinlough, Eoin Harkin and Michael Murphy all picked up knocks and their availability for Sunday remains unknown, Kinlough's knee injury looking the most serious.
Mickey Harte has sprinkled the magic dust in the Faithful County and they enter the game on the back of six wins from eight in Division 3, including the statement victory over Kildare in the decider.
Regardless of current form, Offaly would argue they have closed the gap on the Royals in recent years. In 2019 they were edged out by two points, while in 2023 the Royals were dispatched to the Tailteann Cup after a four-point defeat in Tullamore.
With last year's Tailteann Cup winners Down dropping to Division 3, Offaly would need to need to reach a provincial final to qualify for the All-Ireland SFC.
Should they get past Offaly, it’s most likely Dublin will await in the semi-final. Even the most optimistic Offaly supporter would admit the odds are stacked against them getting back to Croke Park again in the championship (the Leinster semi-finals have been taken out of GAA HQ).
The last of the Leinster quarter-finals to throw-in takes place in Newbridge where Louth and Laois will lock horns.
Given the draw - Dublin being on the other side - both sides harbour realistic ambitions of eyeing a spot in a Leinster final.
The Wee County will start as favourites having reached the last two finals and operating at a division higher than their opponents. It was similar early season form - three wins and four defeats for both - with Laois failing to mount a serious promotion push from the third tier.
A 10-point victory over Wexford last weekend was a promising start. Ronan Coffey claimed half a dozen points on his championship debut, Mark Barry was a central player in the 11 jersey while Patrick Sullivan - who scored a goal - and Pa Kirwan were prominent throughout from their respective wing-back roles.
Louth manager Ger Brennan will be without talisman Sam Mulroy, who is a few weeks away from a return, while Craig Lennon, Andy McDonald, Dan Corcoran, Casey Byrne and Kieran Keenan are also on the road to recovery.
It's a rare enough fixture in Leinster, just the third time the counties have crossed paths since the turn of the millennium. It's one apiece on that front, with Louth strolling to a 10-point victory in 2013, their last championship meeting.
