Mayo Rewarded with Record 11 All-Star Nominations as All-Ireland Champions Dominate Football Awards
All-Ireland football champions Mayo have received a record-breaking 11 All-Star nominations, the highest total ever achieved by a county in a single year, as the GAA's awards panel recognised the players who ended the county's 75-year wait for Sam Maguire under manager Andy Moran in one of the most celebrated championship victories in the sport's history.
Background
Mayo's All-Ireland football championship victory in 2026 was one of the most emotionally charged moments in GAA history. The county had contested ten All-Ireland finals since their last title in 1951, losing each one in circumstances that became the stuff of sporting legend — and, for many Mayo supporters, genuine heartbreak. The 2026 triumph, achieved under the management of former Mayo great Andy Moran, ended a wait that had spanned three generations of supporters and players, and was celebrated with an intensity that few sporting occasions in Ireland have matched.
The All-Star awards, presented annually by the GAA in association with Opel, recognise the 15 best players in each code across the championship season. The nominations are selected by a panel of GAA journalists and officials, and the final 15 are chosen by a vote of the full panel. A record 45 players have been nominated for the 2026 football All-Stars, with Mayo's 11 nominations reflecting both the quality of their championship performance and the depth of talent across the squad that Moran assembled.
Kerry, who were beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final, received seven nominations — a strong return for a county that has dominated the All-Star awards for much of the past decade. The nominations reflect the competitive nature of the 2026 championship, which produced several high-quality performances from multiple counties.
Key Developments
Mayo's 11 nominees span every line of the field. In goal, Jack Livingstone is recognised for a championship campaign in which he made several crucial saves in the knockout stages. The defensive nominations include Jack Coyne, David McBrien, Sam Callinan, Enda Hession, and Donnchadh McHugh — a back six that conceded remarkably few goals throughout the championship. Jack Carney is nominated at midfield, while the forward nominations include Jordan Flynn, Darragh Beirne, Ryan O'Donoghue, and Kobe McDonald — the latter of whom has since announced his move to St Kilda in the AFL, adding a bittersweet note to his nomination.
Two Mayo players are among the contenders for the 2026 Footballer of the Year award, where they face competition from Kerry's David Clifford, who was outstanding despite his county's semi-final exit. The Player of the Year award is voted on by the full All-Star panel and is expected to be one of the most competitive in recent years.
The GAA has also confirmed that the All-Star banquet will take place in Dublin in November, with the full 15-man team to be announced on the night. The event is expected to be one of the most attended in the awards' history, given the scale of Mayo's achievement and the national interest in their championship victory.
Why It Matters
The All-Star nominations are more than a recognition of individual excellence — they are a measure of a county's collective achievement across a championship season. Mayo's 11 nominations are a statement that their All-Ireland victory was not a fluke or a fortunate run through the draw, but the product of a genuinely outstanding team performance sustained over months of competition. The breadth of the nominations — from goalkeeper to full-forward — reflects the balance and depth of Moran's squad.
The nominations also raise a poignant question about Kobe McDonald, whose move to St Kilda in the AFL means he will not be available to defend the All-Ireland title with Mayo in 2027. McDonald's nomination is a recognition of his contribution to the championship campaign, but his departure has already prompted a broader debate about the GAA's relationship with the AFL and the protocols governing player recruitment — a debate that the GAA president has confirmed will be addressed in formal talks with the AFL in the coming weeks.
Local Impact
In Mayo, the All-Star nominations have been received with enormous pride. The county's GAA clubs — from Crossmolina and Ballina in the north to Ballinrobe and Claremorris in the south — have celebrated the recognition of their county's players. The nominations are also a boost for the county's underage development programmes, which have produced several of the nominated players. Mayo GAA has indicated that the All-Star banquet in November will be marked by celebrations across the county, with public events planned in Castlebar and Westport.
What's Next
The full 2026 football All-Star team will be announced at the GAA All-Star banquet in Dublin in November. The Footballer of the Year award will be announced on the same night. Mayo will begin their defence of the All-Ireland title in the 2027 Connacht championship, with the draw expected to take place in January. The GAA's talks with the AFL on player recruitment protocols are scheduled for late September, with a formal agreement hoped for before the end of the year.
