Mayo take six Football All-Stars as Kobe McDonald becomes youngest winner

Mayo secured six places on the 2026 PwC Football All-Star team announced on 29 October, according to RTÉ Sport, after winning the All-Ireland senior football championship. The 15-player selection covers eight counties, and Mayo forward Kobe McDonald, 18, is the youngest-ever Football All-Star winner.

RTÉ named Sam Callinan, Enda Hession, Darragh Beirne, McDonald, Jack Carney and Ryan O’Donoghue as Mayo’s winners. The county’s six selections are the largest share of a team that also includes three Kerry players and one each from Westmeath, Louth, Armagh, Tyrone, Dublin and Monaghan, according to The 42.

How widely spread are the 2026 Football All-Stars?

Kerry’s David Clifford receives his seventh All-Star, matching fellow Kerry player Mikey Sheehy’s total, according to RTÉ. Among Kerry players, only Colm Cooper, with eight, and Pat Spillane, with nine, have won more. Clifford is joined by Kerry goalkeeper Shane Murphy and full-back Jason Foley, who takes his third award.

The other county representatives are Ronan Wallace of Westmeath, Dara McDonnell of Louth, Jarlath Óg Burns of Armagh, Conn Kilpatrick of Tyrone, Niall Scully of Dublin and Stephen O’Hanlon of Monaghan. RTÉ said Wallace had previously made the 2022 Tailteann Cup Team of the Year, while Burns is the first All-Star winner from his club, Silverbridge.

McDonald’s age record and the awards still to come

The 42 reported that McDonald is one month younger than Derry’s Dermot McNicholl was when he won an All-Star in 1984. McDonald, Beirne and McDonnell are also the three nominees for Young Footballer of the Year, RTÉ reported; all have made the All-Star team.

Clifford, Carney and O’Donoghue are the Footballer of the Year nominees. The PwC All-Star Awards presentation is scheduled for Friday, 30 October, with RTÉ One and RTÉ Player due to carry it from 7:30 p.m., according to RTÉ. The individual player-of-the-year awards remain to be presented.