2021 Joe McDonagh Cup

The 2021 Joe McDonagh Cup is the fourth staging of the Joe McDonagh Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2018. The competition is scheduled to begin in May 2021 and end in June 2021.

2021 Joe McDonagh Cup

Dates	May – June 2020
Teams	6
← 2020 (Previous) (Next) 2022 →

There was no relegation to from the 2020 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship and the 2020 Joe McDonagh Cup due to a restructure to the championship tiers. The 2020 Christy Ring Cup finalists were both promoted, thereby increasing the Joe McDonagh Cup from five to six teams.

Competition Format

Joe McDonagh Cup

Initially each of the six teams play the other five teams in a round of single round-robin matches. The top two teams qualify for the Joe McDonagh Cup final, held at Croke Park.

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The top two teams after the round robin games also enter the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship where they play the third-placed teams in the Leinster and Munster championships in the two All-Ireland preliminary quarter finals with the Joe McDonagh Cup teams having home advantage.

Promotion to Leinster or Munster SHC

The winner of the Joe McDonagh Cup are also promoted to the following year's Leinster or Munster Senior Hurling championships, which form the first round of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Cup champions are placed into their respective provincial championship.

The change in format could potentially benefit Kerry if they win the Joe McDonagh Cup because, up until now, if a Munster team (effectively, Kerry) had won the Cup they would have had to win a play-off with the bottom-placed team in the Munster Championship to gain promotion at that team's expense to the following year's Munster Championship.

Relegation

The bottom-placed team in the Joe McDonagh Cup are relegated to the following year's Christy Ring Cup, and replaced by the 2021 Christy Ring Cup Champions.

Teams

Personnel and general information

Team	Colours	Province	Manager(s)	Captain(s)	Sponsor
Carlow		Leinster
Down		Ulster
Kerry		Munster
Kildare		Leinster
Meath		Leinster
Westmeath		Leinster

Group Stage

Table

Key to colours

	Advance to Joe McDonagh Cup final
	Relegation Playoff

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	SF	SA	Diff	Pts
1	Carlow	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Down	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Kerry	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Kildare	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Meath	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Westmeath	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Round 1

v

v

v

Round 2

v

v

v

Round 3

v

v

v

Round 4

v

v

v

Round 5

v

v

v

References

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40079618.html

https://www.the42.ie/leinster-shc-expanded-2021-congress-5027385-Feb2020/

https://kildare-nationalist.ie/2020/11/14/double-joy-for-kildare-christy-ring-final-and-joe-mcdonagh-cup-2021/

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/1114/1178167-down-edge-offaly-in-hurlings-first-penalty-shootout/