Can Down spring the latest provincial surprise?

The 2026 provincial football championships have not been short on drama. In Connacht, Leitrim caused a stir with victory over Sligo to set up a semi-final against Galway, while last weekend in Leinster, Westmeath stunned Meath and Dublin just about survived a scare in Wicklow, so is it Ulster or Munster's turn this weekend? Should All-Ireland champions Kerry fail to get past Clare in Ennis or Tipperary take down Cork in Thurles - both Saturday 14:00 BST throw-in - it may well be bigger than the previous week's upsets.

Likewise in Ulster, Armagh travel to Brewster Park on Saturday [17:30 BST] as hot favourites to reach the semi-final stage, while Donegal have the same tag for their quarter-final against Down in Letterkenny on Sunday [15:00 BST]. It's difficult to make a case for the underdogs, but as the previous weeks have shown, not impossible and can those shocks inspire this week's hopefuls? "Rightly or wrongly, Down have always went in with that swagger in the back of their head where if we get our line-up and aggression right, we would be there or thereabouts against anybody," former Down forward Danny Hughes told BBC Sport NI.

"In recent years, given the level of preparation across all teams where it's a semi-professional lifestyle, it leaves it that upsets aren't as prevalent as they used to be. "Still, you look at Armagh this week and losing two significant players ball-winners at midfield in Callum O'Neill [shoulder] and Ben Crealey [broken ankle], add in Fermanagh being well motivated... "Unfortunately for Down, Donegal have experienced no such issues, so although they undoubtedly making progress, it will be very difficult for Down to get a result.

" 'Down's players won't be thinking of Sam Maguire implications this week' The ramifications of defeat could be even greater for Down due to last weekend's victory for Westmeath, who now have a Leinster semi-final against Kildare to look forward to. Win and it's Sam Maguire football for Mark McHugh's team, meaning that anything less than a place in this year's Ulster final will leave Down in Tailteann Cup territory. Considering the upward trajectory Down football has been on over the past couple of years, a return to the competition they won in 2024 to guarantee Sam Maguire football last year would represent a setback.