All-Ireland champions Mayo have provided six players on the 2026 PwC Football All-Star team, but the wider story of this year’s selection is the breadth of representation across a Championship season in which the competitive landscape continued to open up.
Eight counties are represented on the final 15, the widest spread since 2010, while 11 players will receive an All-Star for the first time when the awards are presented at the RDS in Dublin on Friday night.
Mayo’s first Sam Maguire success in 75 years is reflected in the team’s strongest county representation, with Sam Callinan and Enda Hession selected in defence, Jack Carney in midfield, and Ryan O’Donoghue, Darragh Beirne and Kobe McDonald among the forwards.
Carney and O’Donoghue have also been shortlisted for the PwC GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year award, alongside Kerry’s David Clifford, while Beirne and McDonald feature in the three-player shortlist for Young Footballer of the Year.
It gives Mayo a considerable presence across the major individual honours after a season that finally converted years of near misses into an All-Ireland title.
Kerry, beaten by Mayo in the All-Ireland final and also runners-up in the Allianz Football League, have three representatives.
Shane Murphy earns his first All-Star in goal after taking over from the injured Shane Ryan, while Jason Foley collects a third award at full-back.
David Clifford’s latest selection takes him to seven All-Stars, drawing level with Mikey Sheehy in the Kerry roll of honour. Only Colm Cooper, with eight, and Pat Spillane, with nine, have won more for the county.
Beyond the two All-Ireland finalists, the team’s make-up offers a snapshot of a season in which performances from counties outside the traditional leading group were consistently rewarded.
Westmeath’s Ronan Wallace earns a first All-Star at wing-back, four years after being named on the Tailteann Cup Team of the Year.
Louth’s Dara McDonnell is selected at centre-back after playing a central role in one of the county’s most prominent Championship campaigns of the modern era, while Armagh’s Jarlath Óg Burns becomes the first player from Silverbridge to win an All-Star.
Tyrone’s Conn Kilpatrick takes a midfield spot alongside Mayo’s Jack Carney, while Dublin’s Niall Scully collects his second All-Star after helping drive Dublin back into the All-Ireland semi-finals.
Monaghan’s Stephen O’Hanlon completes the county spread with his selection at wing-forward.
First-time representation is another defining feature of this year’s team.
Eleven of the 15 players are new winners, the highest number since 2022, with Kobe McDonald also in contention to become one of the youngest footballers ever to receive an All-Star. The Mayo forward does not turn 19 until December.
GAA President Jarlath Burns said the team’s composition reflected the Championship’s increasingly competitive nature.
“An incredible football season that was crammed full of memorable twists and turns has a legacy in this All-Star football team, one that reflects just how competitive our game is now,” he said.
“Mayo have had their season rightly rewarded, and with eight counties represented and 11 first-time winners, there will be clubs all over Ireland that wake up and share in this fantastic news and feel that they have played a part in this success.”
Burns will also add a personal dimension when he presents the award to his son Jarlath Óg Burns, bringing Silverbridge its first All-Star.
GPA CEO and former Mayo midfielder Tom Parsons said the county’s six selections added another layer of recognition after Mayo ended its long wait for an All-Ireland title.
“This young team carried the weight of 75 years with courage and belief,” he said.
“To have Sam Maguire and a PwC All-Star award to your name for 2026 is something to be very proud of.”
PwC Ireland Managing Partner Enda McDonagh highlighted the consistency required across the season to reach the final selection.
“Being recognised among the top 15 footballers in the country is a fantastic achievement and reflects the exceptional performances, commitment and consistency they have shown throughout the season,” he said.
The All-Stars remain one of Irish sport’s longest-standing commercial partnerships, dating back to 1971, and now carry PwC’s title sponsorship across football, hurling and camogie.
A panel of Gaelic Games journalists from print, radio, television and digital media selected the football team.
To avoid any potential conflict of interest around including Jarlath Óg Burns, GAA President Jarlath Burns did not chair the discussion on selecting the defensive positions.
Players decide the Footballer and Young Footballer of the Year awards separately.
Those winners, together with the PwC Hurling All-Stars and the corresponding hurling player awards, will be announced at Friday night’s event in the RDS.
RTÉ One will broadcast the awards live from 7.30 pm, while the GAA will extend the digital coverage with a live red-carpet programme on its YouTube channel from 6 pm.
2026 PwC Football All-Stars
Shane Murphy (Kerry); Sam Callinan (Mayo); Jason Foley (Kerry); Enda Hession (Mayo); Ronan Wallace (Westmeath); Dara McDonnell (Louth); Jarlath Óg Burns (Armagh); Conn Kilpatrick (Tyrone); Jack Carney (Mayo); Niall Scully (Dublin); Ryan O’Donoghue (Mayo); Stephen O’Hanlon (Monaghan); Darragh Beirne (Mayo); David Clifford (Kerry); Kobe McDonald (Mayo).
Footballer of the Year Nominees
David Clifford (Kerry), Ryan O’Donoghue (Mayo), Jack Carney (Mayo).
Young Footballer of the Year Nominees
Darragh Beirne (Mayo), Kobe McDonald (Mayo), Dara McDonnell (Louth).
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Image Credit: GAA and PwC
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