Roscommon were the 2015 champions and were promoted to the Christy Ring Cup.
[1] On 4 June 2016, Mayo won the Nicky Rackard Cup following a 2-16 to 1-15 defeat of Armagh.
The 2016 Nicky Rackard Cup is played in a double-elimination format.
The bottom team in this year's Christy Ring Cup (tier 2) plays the winner of this year's Nicky Rackard Cup (tier 3).
The bottom team in this year's Nicky Rackard Cup (tier 3) plays the winner of this year's Lory Meagher Cup (tier 4).