All-Ireland SFC semi-finals - all you need to know

Louth, Mayo, Dublin and Kerry will contest this weekend's All-Ireland SFC semi-finals [Getty Images] We're down to the final four in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and by close of play on Sunday, we will have our final pairing. It's been a year of change, with a new format introduced in the race for Sam Maguire which has provided plenty of big moments. Croke Park is the venue this weekend for two games that provide plenty of intrigue. Louth get set for their first semi-final since 1957 when they take on Mayo on Saturday, while Sunday is much more traditional match-up as champions Kerry face a Dublin side that has built steadily throughout the championship. The winners will return to GAA headquarters on Sunday, 26 July, so before this weekend's semi-finals, BBC Sport NI takes a look at the main talking points. How to follow semi-finals on BBC You can watch Louth v Mayo on Saturday and Dublin v Kerry on Sunday live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two NI. Saturday's semi-final will throw in at 18:00 BST at Croke Park, with BBC coverage starting at 17:40. Sarah Mulkerrins will be joined in studio by All-Star Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan, Dublin's eight-time All-Ireland winner Philly McMahon and Killian Young, a four-time All-Ireland winner with Kerry. Mark Sidebottom will provide pitchside updates with Tyrone's three-time All-Ireland winner Owen Mulligan, plus former Donegal star Brendan Devenney, while Thomas Niblock is joined on commentary by former Monaghan star Conor McManus. Sunday's semi-final throws in at the earlier time of 16:00, with build-up to the game on the BBC starting at 15:35. Philly McMahon and Killian Young will again join Sarah Mulkerrins with Armagh's All-Ireland winner Oisin McConville for company. Mark Sidebottom will be back pitchside with Owen Mulligan and Brendan Devenney, while Conor McManus will again join Thomas Niblock on commentary. There will also be live text commentary, in-play clips, reaction and highlights of both games on the BBC Sport NI website and app. How did Louth and Mayo get here? Louth overcame Monaghan to reach their first All-Ireland SFC semi-final since 1957 [Getty Images] Following elimination from the Leinster Championship by Dublin, Louth exacted revenge on the Dubs in the opening round of the All-Ireland SFC as a late Craig Lennon goal proved the difference. It was another late show in round 2A when trailing Armagh by two points with time almost up, but Sam Mulroy let fly from deep with the ball ending up in the net to snatch a dramatic win. In the quarter-final, it was another Ulster opponent in Monaghan and despite losing Sean Callaghan to a red card just eight minutes in, Gavin Devlin's side dug in to claim a 0-27 to 2-18 win which saw them through to the last four for the first time in 69 years. Mayo's provincial campaign also came to an end at the semi-final stage when they fell to eventual Connacht winners Roscommon. Andy Moran's side recovered to edge out Monaghan in the opening round of the All-Ireland SFC, but would then fall to defeat by Tyrone in round 2A with Niall Morgan kicking a winning two-pointer. They again bounced back with a 0-22 to 2-13 win over Meath in round three, which sent them into a quarter-final meeting with Cork. With Ryan O'Donoghue, Darragh Beirne and Kobe McDonald starring, the westerners claimed a 0-23 to 0-18 win to seal a first semi-final berth since 2021. Dublin and Kerry's route to the semi-final Kerry edged past Tyrone at the quarter-final stage [Getty Images] It was extra-time heartbreak for the Dubs in the Leinster final as Westmeath surged to a 2-28 to 0-26 victory, and it didn't get much better in the opening round of the All-Ireland SFC as a six-point half-time lead against Louth was wiped out as the Dubs suffered a 4-18 to 1-24 defeat. With manager Ger Brennan back on the sideline following the end of his 12-week ban, the Dubs began to find some form with Con O'Callaghan's goal from a second-half penalty helping them to a 1-24 to 0-16 win over Cavan. It would get better in round three as Dublin came through an extra-time thriller against Donegal, stunning the pre-match favourites 2-26 to 2-22 in a game of the season contender. In the quarter-final, a six-point deficit against Galway with 13 minutes to play would turn into a four-point win as O'Callaghan again netted from the spot to help seal a 1-25 to 1-21 win. Kerry are the only provincial champion still standing as they retained their Munster crown with a 1-23 to 1-15 win over Cork. However, their Sam Maguire campaign would get off to a shaky start as a red card shown to Micheal Burns at the start of the second half would prove a major hurdle as Donegal ran away to a 2-20 to 0-16 win. However, Jack O'Connor's men recovered well with David Clifford, Diarmuid O'Connor and Gavin White finding the net in a 3-22 to 0-17 win over Kildare. Clifford was at his brilliant best in the round three win over Armagh, contributing 1-10 as the Kingdom had 13 points to spare against the Ulster champions. It was less straightforward in the quarter-final against Tyrone as the Red Hands were level late on, but a Paudie Clifford point and late Armin Heinrich goal saw the defending champions through with a 2-25 to 0-27 win. Previous championship meeting Dublin beat Kerry in their last championship meeting that took place in the 2023 final [Getty Images] The last meeting between Louth and Mayo took place in the 2023 group stage in Castlebar. It seemed Mayo were on course for a comfortable win on their home patch, but just edged home 0-14 to 1-10 as an injury-time Conall McKeever goal and a point from Conor Grimes got Louth to within one, but time elapsed before the comeback could be completed. Dublin and Kerry's last meeting also took place in 2023, but in the final that Dublin won by 1-15 to 1-13 as late scores from Paul Mannion and Dean Rock sealed the county's 31st and most recent title. Who to look out for Sam Mulroy has been in inspirational form for Louth this year, netting the winning goal against Armagh in round 2A and kicking five points as the Wee County saw off Monaghan in the quarter-final despite playing most of the game with 14 men. For Mayo, Kobe McDonald's graduation to the senior ranks has been one of the stories of the summer as the AFL-bound teenager scored a vital goal in the round one win over Monaghan and scored four points in each of the wins over Meath and Cork. As for Dublin, Con O'Callaghan has proven his worth as one of Gaelic football's biggest stars with a goal in each of his side's All-Ireland SFC games and has led by example throughout. Kerry are laden with some huge names, but David Clifford remains the star of the show and has produced some big displays throughout, finding the net in each of the wins over Kildare, Armagh and Tyrone. Team news Line-ups will be published here when they are released. What else is on this weekend? Down are seeking to win the Tailteann Cup for the second time in three years [Getty Images] The Tailteannn Cup final also takes place at Croke Park on Saturday (15:30 BST) as Down seek to regain the trophy they won back in 2024 when they face Wicklow. Conor Laverty's side had hoped to be in the running for Sam Maguire this year, but their Ulster semi-final defeat by Armagh and results elsewhere going against them meant they dropped into the secondary competition. It's hasn't all been plain sailing as after a big opening win over Leitrim, they fell to defeat by Offaly but recovered to beat Longford, Laois and edge out Fermanagh in the semi-final. Oisin McConville's Wicklow lost their opener against Laois, but have gone on a superb run since, seeing off Limerick and Tipperary before producing a superb fightback against Antrim in the quarter-finals. Outsiders in the semi-final against Offaly, the Garden County delivered an impressive display to win by five and qualify for their first Tailteann Cup final. The winner will be guaranteed a place in next year's All-Ireland SFC. Sunday's curtain-raiser will be the final of the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship (13:45). The finalists are yet to be decided but will come from Friday's semi-final doubleheader at Abbottstown as US GAA face Warwickshire, while New York take on London.