All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2003 - Format

Format

The provincial championships in Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht were run as usual on a "knock-out" basis. These provincial games were then followed by the "Qualifier" system:

• Round 1 of the qualifiers included all the counties (except New York) that did not qualify for the Provincial Semi-Finals. An open draw was made to give eight pairings.

• Round 2 consisted of the eight defeated teams in the Provincial Semi-Finals playing against the eight winners from Round 1. A draw was made to determine the eight pairings.

• Round 3 consisted of the eight winners from Round 2. Another open draw was made to determine the four pairings.

• Round 4 consited of the four winners from Round 3 playing against the beaten Provincial finalists. A draw was made to determine the pairings.

The All-Ireland Quarter-Finals: Each of the four Provincial Champions played one of the four winners from Round 4. The All-Ireland Semi-Finals were played on a Provincial rota basis, initially determined by the Central Council. If a Provincial Championship winning team was defeated in its Quarter-Final, the team that defeated it took its place in the Semi-Final.