Contested by the top male inter-county football teams in Ireland, the tournament has taken place every year since 1887, except in 1888 when the competition was not played due to a tour of the United States by would-be competitors.

The competition traditionally culminates on the third or fourth Sunday in September with the All-Ireland Men's Senior Football Championship Final.

Teams from the southern province of Munster shared the early titles, with Limerick, Tipperary and Cork winning the first three finals.

The 1888 provincial championships had been completed (won by Tipperary, Kilkenny and Monaghan, with no Connacht teams entering) but after the Invasion Tour ended, the All-Ireland semi-final and final were not played.

The first half of the twentieth century brought the rise of several teams who won two or more All-Ireland titles during this period, such as Kildare, Mayo, Cavan, Wexford and Roscommon.

[5] The following table sets out the winning team and beaten finalist of each All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final.

The vast majority of finals were contested by the winning semi-finalists, although in certain cases in the early years a provincial championship had not been completed in time and the affected province nominated a team to participate in the All-Ireland semi-final.