Limerick and Galway are set to battle it out in Dublin's Croke Park on Sunday, July 19, in hopes of lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

It will be Limerick's first time vying for the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship title since 2023, and Galway's first time since 2018.

The two teams last met in Croke Park for the final in 2018 - Limerick edged out Galway 3-16 to 2-18 to claim their eighth ever All-Ireland Senior Hurling title, their first in 45 years.

Limerick last won the Liam MacCarthy in 2023, while Galway last won the title in 2017.

On Sunday, Limerick will be looking to add to their roster of 12 wins, while Galway is on the hunt for win number six.

The match will be played before a confirmed 82,000-capacity crowd at Croke Park, the GAA headquarters in Dublin.

What time is Limerick v Galway?

Throw-in for Limerick v Galway is 3:30 pm on Sunday, July 19. (That's 10:30 am New York time).

As is tradition, before throw-in, the teams will march behind the Artane Band, and they will perform Amhrán na bhFiann, with this year marking the centenary of the song being officially adopted as Ireland's national anthem.

Where to watch Limerick v Galway?

Sunday's hurling final between Limerick and Galway will air in Ireland on RTÉ and in Britain on the BBC.

Fans around the world in 180 territories will also be able to watch the match via the streaming platform GAA+. A one-off purchase to watch the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final on Sunday is $35 USD.

Additionally, RTÉ Radio will also be covering the match – 100 years after their first-ever match coverage was broadcast from the stadium – as will Raidió na Gaeltachta.

Prior to throw-in on Sunday, "The Warm Up Show" will take place in Croke Park between 2 and 3 pm. It will be streamed live and free around the world on the GAA’s YouTube and @OfficialGAA social media channels. Aisling O’Reilly will host the show in the company of David Burke, Declan Hannon, and Richie Hogan, amongst others. There will be a special focus on the Jubilee Team from 2001, Tipperary.

What if there is a draw between Limerick v Galway?

In the event of a draw after 70 minutes on Sunday, there will be 20 minutes of extra time. In the event of the teams being still level after 90 minutes, the replay will be on August 1, again at Croke Park.

What is the Liam MacCarthy Cup?

The winner of the GAA's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship gets to take home the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

The Cup is named in honour of Liam MacCarthy, an IRB activist and prominent London GAA official. The son of a Cork father and Limerick mother, he grew up in London in an all-Irish-speaking house. His successful box-making business is still in operation in London and is run by the MacCarthy family.

The Liam MacCarthy Cup was presented to the GAA in 1923. Its first winners were Limerick in the delayed 1921 final.

Limerick panel for the 2026 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Nickie Quaid; Seán Finn, Mike Casey, Barry Nash; Diarmaid Byrnes, William O'Donoghue, Kyle Hayes; Adam English, Cian Lynch; Gearóid Hegarty, Aidan O'Connor, Cathal O'Neill; Aaron Gillane, Shane O'Brien, Peter Casey.

Subs: Colin Ryan, Colin Coughlan, Fintan Fitzgerald, Matthew Fitzgerald, Hugh Flanagan, Ethan Hurley, Darragh Langan, Dan Morrissey, Tom Morrissey, Darragh O'Donovan, David Reidy.

Manager: John Kiely.

Galway panel for the 2026 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

Darach Fahy; Joshua Ryan, Cillian Trayers, Darren Morrissey; Padraic Mannion, Daithí Burke, Ronan Glennon; Tiernan Killeen, Gavin Lee; Tom Monaghan, Cathal Mannion, Darragh Neary; Conor Whelan, Jason Rabbitte, Aaron Niland.

Subs: Eanna Murphy, Shane Morgan, Fintan Burke, Cian Daniels, Cianan Fahy, Conor Cooney, John Fleming, Seán Linnane, Cillian Whelan, Colm Molloy, Brian Concannon.

Manager: Micheál Donoghue.

Referee for the 2026 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The 2026 final will be refereed by Colm Lyons of Co Cork.

The pitch for the 2026 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

This year, Darren Jepson is taking charge of his first All-Ireland hurling final as Lead Groundsman at Croke Park.

It takes two hours at a time for a team of four to cut the grass by hand, and it is cut twice a day from Thursday right up to Sunday morning.

The pitch markings will be done on Saturday and again on Sunday morning. The Iomáint [Hurling] 2026 stencil will be done on Saturday and finished on Sunday.

New underground tanks have harvested 1.5 million litres of rainwater off the roof of Croke Park and are used to water the pitch. 

 The first All-Ireland final at Croke Park was the 1895 decider, played in March 1896. Since 1912, every All-Ireland hurling final has been played at Jones’s Road/Croke Park except the 1937 final in Killarney, Co Kerry, and the 1984 decider in Thurles, Co Tipperary.