Antrim will begin their Tailteann Cup campaign with a trip to Westmeath on May 10/11, having been drawn in Group Three of the competition.

Andy McEntee's men were designated third seeds and therefore, their opener is against the top seed in the group, which happens to be The Lake County, which suffered relegation from Division Two in the League earlier this year.

The Saffrons will have a home game against the group's second-seeded team, Limerick, the following weekend, as the Treaty won promotion from the bottom rung in the League this year, with Antrim heading in the opposite direction.

The final game of the group stage will be on neutral turf, and that is against London, who did pick up wins against Wicklow and Tipperary during the League.

It is not the worst draw Antrim could have been handed as Group One contains Kildare and Sligo, whom they lost to earlier this year; likewise, Group Two, which contains Offaly and Laois.

However, an opening trip to Mullingar will prove a test as they come up against Westmeath, who were the inaugural winners in 2022.

That competition was contested on a knockout format, with the group stages introduced the following year, and in the 2023 and 2024 editions, Antrim reached the last four.

This year's format follows a similar pattern with the winner of each of the four groups going straight through to a home quarter-final, while the second-placed teams earn a home preliminary round tie with three of the best-placed teams that come third as well as New York - who enter the competition at this stage - away to one of the second-placed teams.

Antrim's relegation from Division Three in the League ensured they were placed in Pot Three for the first time since the introduction of the group stages and therefore, their route to the latter stages is much trickier.

In 2023, they topped their group and were rewarded with a straight passage to the last eight, where they overcame Carlow to set up a semi-final at Croke Park, where they fell to eventual winners, Meath.

Last year, they came second in their group on scoring difference, meaning they had a home preliminary tie against London to navigate before scoring a superb comeback win away to Fermanagh, which saw them back to semi-final day. However, they would again suffer defeat to Leinster opposition, with Laois getting the better of them.

The early part of this year did not go to plan, but a heartening performance against All-Ireland champions Armagh will have served as a boost going into the Tailteann Cup, where they will have designs on making a run in the competition once again.

Dates
May 10/11: Westmeath v Antrim 
May 17/18: Antrim v Limerick 
May 31/June 1: Antrim v London (neutral venue) 

June 7: Preliminary quarter-finals 
June 14/15: Quarter-finals
June 21/22: Semi-finals
July 12: Final