Galway's hurling and football teams lost narrow National League matches, but showed promise with strong performances from young players.

Galway's hurling and football teams opened the 2026 National League season with narrow losses, but showed signs of promise. The men’s footballers narrowly lost to Mayo despite a strong second-half comeback, highlighted by debutants Ciarán Mulhern and the McDonagh brothers, while the hurlers fell to Tipperary by five points, with young players demonstrating strong effort and link-up play. In ladies football, Galway delivered a dominant 1-13 to 0-8 victory over Meath, adapting quickly to new rules, with Kate Slevin leading the charge with seven points and a standout two-pointer. The performances offer optimism despite setbacks.