SATURDAY, 24 JANUARY
Allianz Hurling League Division 1A
Tipperary v Galway, FBD Semple Stadium, 7pm
Allianz Hurling League Division 1B
Carlow v Down, Netwatch Cullen Park, 2.30pm
Wexford v Antrim, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 4pm
Allianz Hurling League Division 2
Meath v London, Trim, 12.30pm
Derry v Kerry, Celtic Park, 1.30pm
Allianz Hurling League Division 3
Armagh v Louth, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, 2pm
Allianz Hurling League Division 4
Cavan v Warwickshire, Kingspan Breffni, 1pm
Leitrim v Longford, Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán MacDiarmada, 2pm
Monaghan v Sligo, Inniskeen, 2pm
SUNDAY, 25 JANUARY
Allianz Hurling League Division 1A
Kilkenny v Offaly, UPMC Nowlan Park, 2pm
Cork v Waterford, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 3.45pm
Allianz Hurling League Division 1B
Clare v Dublin, Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, 2pm
Allianz Hurling League Division 2
Mayo v Laois, Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 1pm
Allianz Hurling League Division 3
Roscommon v Wicklow, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, 1pm
Tyrone v Donegal, Garvaghey, 2pm
ONLINE
Live blogs each day on RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ News app.
TV
Tipperary's opener with Galway on Saturday will be live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 6.30pm.
On Sunday, TG4 will show the Munster derby between Cork and Waterford from 3.35pm.
RADIO
Live commentaries and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport as well as Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.
WEATHER
Saturday: Another dull and damp day with outbreaks of rain and drizzle. These will be heaviest and most persistent over the southern half of the country with the best of any dry spells further north. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees.
Sunday: Starting off generally cloudy with widespread outbreaks of rain and drizzle. These outbreaks will become less frequent and widespread through the day with some sunny spells developing in places. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees.
For more, visit met.ie.
It's the second year of the AHL's new, more balanced seven-team format and while question marks still remain over its importance at the top of the tree, there are still plenty of storylines to suggest a competitive few weeks ahead across the five divisions.
Division 1A: New-look Rebels start at the bottom of the mountain
Last year’s Division 1A title for Cork felt significant – a first league title in 27 years and, they hoped in Rebel County, the spark that would lead to the end of their Liam MacCarthy drought too.
That famously didn’t work out with an incredible collapse in the final against Tipperary – who they had defeated by 10 points in last year’s league final – leading to Cork manager Pat Ryan stepping down to be replaced by Ben O’Connor.
O’Connor is the only managerial rookie in Division 1A this season, and his league reign starts at home to Waterford on Sunday. There’s no Patrick Horgan anymore, of course, while notable names like Jack O’Connor and Conor Lehane haven’t been included in the league panel, so it’s a evolving team taking to the field.
Waterford will be weakened by the absence of their Ballygunner contingent who are enjoying their All-Ireland celebrations but Peter Queally’s side had a productive January that included a run to the Munster Senior League final.
DIVISION 1A PREVIEW: ALL UP FOR GRABS AFTER SEASON OF SHOCKS
Of the newer faces, Reuben Halloran probably put his hand up the highest for a starting berth moving forward as they try and secure their Division 1A status in the coming weeks having earned promotion last year.
For the first time in six years, Tipperary will start their league campaign as All-Ireland champions – although they’ll be hoping for a different result at Semple Stadium against Galway - live on RTÉ - having lost out to Limerick at the same venue in 2020.
The Premier County certainly aren’t happy to settle with 13 new faces added to their league panel – including Cathal English, Joe Egan and Adam Daly from last season’s Under-20 All-Ireland winning side. Noel McGrath returns for his 18th season although he’s not named to start against the Tribe County; 10 starters from last year’s All-Ireland win are though.
Galway’s season was emphatically ended by Tipperary at the quarter-final stage last year, but there are a number of players named to start who didn’t feature that day.
SHANE MCGRATH: LEAGUE START REMINDS ME OF 2006 LEARNING CURVE
Amongst the new faces is Jason Rabbitte, who watched his sisters Sabina and Olwen power Athenry to the All-Ireland Camogie Club title earlier this month. Joshua Ryan, Cillian Trayers, Daniel Loftus, Darragh Neary, John Fleming and Aaron Niland are the others who won’t carry the baggage of that loss last summer.
The other Division 1A fixture will see Kilkenny host newly-promoted Offaly in a Leinster derby.
TJ Reid has been named as Kilkenny captain for a third time, but the Ballyhale man will be reintroduced in a "staggered" way, according to manager Derek Lyng with the latter stages of the league sounding likely.
Offaly have it all to do to stay up, and Johnny Kelly’s young guns are carrying a rake of injuries into the new campaign – so it’s going to be a huge ask to get anything from Nowlan Park. They’re up against it from the start.
Division 1B: Novel names hope to shake up table
Kildare last played Division 1 hurling in 1980, Down in 2005 – two long waits ended as the pair promoted last year with the Ulster side going up as champions.
The Lilywhites have this weekend off but Ronán Sheehan’s face a trip to Carlow. Poc Fáda specialist Pearce Smyth is getting his chance in nets, but key forward Tom McGrattan remains out as he continues is recovery from a cruciate.
Carlow took the scalp of Waterford in this division last year and will have designs on another good campaign – and this is definitely a match they will have targeted – even if James Doyle and Ciaran Whelan are not named on the starting team. Manager Pat Bennett is preparing for his first league game in charge, but has plenty of experience of the division having been in the Antrim backroom last season.
DIVISION 1B PREVIEW: ECLECTIC MIX IN FRESH LOOKING SECOND TIER
Davy Fitzgerald has brought Seoirse Bulfin in to replace him, but there’s no denying that optimism is low in the Saffron County ahead of their trip to Wexford.
Former outfielder Domhnall Nugent is back for the first time in three years, but this time in goals while new faces like Ryan McNulty, Sean Duffin, Sean McKay and Jack McCloskey are set to get their chance.
Wexford had 11 points to spare in their last clash – a 2025 Leinster encounter – but they will be without one of their star forwards this season, Rory O’Connor. Lee Chin scored 0-16 against Antrim that day and is back on board though.
On Sunday, two of the promotion favourites battle it out as Clare welcome Dublin to Ennis.
Aidan McCarthy has not been brought back into the Banner squad, despite speculation that he wanted to return. Mark Sheedy, Jamie Moylan, Diarmuid Stritch, Niall O’Farrell, Senan Dunford and Aidan Fawl are six new faces added to the panel though.
Niall Ó Ceallachain’s Dublin side lost the Walsh Cup to Galway on penalties, a defeat not likely to cause too much damage, but they will enter 2026 without the recently retired Danny Sutcliffe.
Division 2: Meath relying on brotherly love
Derry, Meath and Mayo all start off with home fixtures, but it’ll take something special for any of them to earn points in Round 1.
Derry, still under the guidance of Johnny McGarvey, host a Kerry team that stuck five goals past them last season.
The Kingdom will be captained by James O’Connor having been nominated by his club Abbeydorney and he will be keen to lead them in a genuine promotion charge.
While the task is stark for Derry, it’s even more ominous for Mayo - despite being one of the most improved teams in the country - as they host Laois.
Last year two divisions separated these counties and Laois are hoping to bounce right back up. Between three challenge games and three Walsh Cup/Shield fixtures, manager Tommy Fitzgerald has looked at a massive amount of players as he searches for some notable new faces.
If there is to be a surprise this week, Meath at home to London looks the safest bet.
It’s an experimental Royal side with Simon Ennis, Jarlath Ennis, Lorcan Byrne, Mikey Cole and Damien Healy the only players retained from their final league game of 2025.
The Ennis brothers form part of an unusual quirk in the modern game with four sets of brothers in the starting 15 alongside the Coles (Mikey and Joey), Leavys (Conor and Mark) and Shines (Daire and Tom).
Division 3: Derby duels on opening weekend
Two derbies take place in Round 1 with Armagh hosting Louth and Donegal travelling to Tyrone.
Armagh and Louth games are always close, and the Orchard County will hope that the return of the experienced Eoin McGuinness will give them the scoring edge to take the points.
Donegal have had Tyrone’s number in recent times, but the decision to move the game to Garvaghey – the Red Hand training base – is interesting. Manager Stephen McGarry said it was a calculated move with his players more comfortable in those surroundings.
Roscommon, under new manager Brian Hanley, and Wicklow has the potential to be a tight affair. Both finished on six points in last year’s Division 3, although Wicklow were 12-point winners when they met in Bray.
Division 4: Battle to escape the bottom tier
Cavan boss Ollie Bellew made an interesting comment this week, saying that the decision to parachute eventual champions New York into the Lory Meagher Cup at the semi-final stage played a part in some of his players not committing this season.
A story for later in the season perhaps, with the focus on a home game with Warwickshire who are managed by Jamie Lynch again. He was appointed very late last season so will hope a smoother build-up can lead to better results this time around.
Leitrim and Longford rarely produce one-sided games and the hosts will hope the new addition of Offaly man Daniel Miller might tip the scales back their way.
Diarmuid Cahill is back in charge of Longford and he’s brought in a familiar face along the line, his father Dinny.
Monaghan welcome Sligo to Grattan Park in Inniskeen with Arthur Hughes still in charge. One of their key players Thomas Hughes is trying his luck with the footballers this season.
Sligo's Easkey contingent are back already despite their recent All-Ireland heartbreak. The club has five starters on the team heading north.
Watch Tipperary v Galway in the Allianz Hurling League on Saturday from 6.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch Allianz League Sunday from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
