Mayo have won the All-Ireland senior football championship for the first time in 75 years after defeating Kerry at Croke Park. The result ended one of Irish sport's longest and most discussed waits, stretching back to the county's previous title in 1951.
The western county had returned to the final repeatedly during the intervening decades without lifting the Sam Maguire Cup. That history placed an unusual weight on the 2026 team, but the final was decided by the performance on the field rather than the stories accumulated around earlier defeats.
Kerry entered the match with the sport's most successful championship record, while Mayo's route had included a semi-final victory over Louth. Sunday's meeting brought contrasting traditions into a full Croke Park and gave the new football rules their first senior final at the stadium.
At the final whistle, Mayo players and supporters were able to celebrate a title that had passed through generations. The achievement belongs to the current panel and management, but its scale is understood through the families and clubs that sustained county football through the long gap.
The championship will now move into local celebrations and a review of the season. For the record book, the essential line is simple: Mayo defeated Kerry in the July 26 final and became All-Ireland senior champions for the first time since 1951.