GAA Betting: Who Are The Favourites To Win The National Football League?

After another compelling weekend of action, betting sites are once again examining who the main contenders are for the 2025 edition of the National Football League.
While Kerry and Donegal were playing for the first time in this year’s competition, the remaining teams in Division One of the National Football League have now had two outings under the new rules for Gaelic football.
Although it remains the subject of intense debate and discussion, it was felt that last weekend’s fare served as a strong advertisement for the significant alterations that have been made to the game.
Round Two Winners Scoring Freely In NFL
Kerry, Galway, Armagh and Donegal all registered massive scoring tallies last week.
Galway in particular took advantage of the new scoring arc that awards a team two points if they manage to split the posts from a distance of 40 metres or greater, with seven such efforts helping them to establish a strong foothold in their clash with provincial rivals Mayo.
Not every rule change has been met with universal approval, but a consensus is beginning to grow that Gaelic football is slowly becoming a more enjoyable spectacle for players and supporters alike.
Despite this originally being set aside as a fallow week for the National Football League, this weekend will see refixed encounters across Divisions 1, 2 and 3 – following their earlier postponements when Storm Eowyn was taking a firm grip on the nation last month.
In the top division, Kerry and Donegal will meet at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney on Saturday afternoon with both teams hoping to make it two wins from two in this year’s NFL.
National League Odds
Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
Galway | 11/4 | |
Kerry | 10/3 | |
Donegal | 10/3 | |
Armagh | 15/2 | |
Dublin | 8/1 | |
Tyrone | 10/1 | |
Mayo | 50/1 | |
Derry | 80/1 |
Galway New Favourites With Bookmakers For A League Triumph
From the six teams in Division One that have already played a brace of games, 2024 All-Ireland senior football championship finalists Galway are presently the only team with a 100% record.
This might explain why the Tribesmen are now 11/4 favourites with Bet365 for a Division One league success, though there has been plenty of evidence in their wins to date over Armagh and Mayo to suggest they are capable of a springtime triumph.
Across those victories, Galway have kicked no fewer than 10 two-pointers with the long-range prowess of Shane Walsh and Cillian O Curraoin providing the platform for Padraic Joyce’s men to defeat their fellow westerners Mayo on a final score of 0-26 to 0-16 in Castlebar last Sunday.
They will next be in action against Derry in Celtic Park on February 15 and another win in that game would further strengthen their title credentials.
Whereas other counties have experimented thus far in the NFL, Galway’s first 15 in the Mayo game featured 10 players that started last July’s All-Ireland final defeat to Armagh.
In comparison to the injury crisis he was dealing with this time 12 months ago, Joyce has a strong hand to pick from at the moment.
Donegal And Kerry Very Much In The Mix For Football League
Even though they had delayed starts to 2025, Donegal and Kerry began their Division One campaigns in fine style last weekend.
Daire O Baoill and Oisin Gallen shone for the former in their 0-20 to 0-16 success at home to Dublin, while three late goals from Paul Geaney (two) and Donal O’Sullivan gave Kerry a dramatic 5-15 to 1-24 victory against Derry in Celtic Park.
This will substantially increase anticipation for the forthcoming showdown between Donegal and the Kingdom this weekend. Both sides as joint second favourites for an NFL title at 10/3, but this could change if either team comes out on top on Saturday.
All-Ireland Champions Armagh Remaining In Contention
After losing out by six points to Galway in the opening round, Armagh served up a timely reminder of their quality by defeating Tyrone on a scoreline of 1-23 to 0-18 in the Athletic Grounds on Saturday.
The new football rules don't curtail the influence of the roving goalkeeper and Orchard County netminder Ethan Rafferty took full advantage of this by kicking 0-5 in the win over the Red Hand – including a brace of two-pointers.
Andrew Murnin (1-4), Conor Turbitt (0-4) and Ross McQuillan (0-3) also made strong contributions as Armagh picked up their first points of the year. Though they are slightly down the pecking order, Kieran McGeeney’s charges remain available at 15/2 for an NFL victory.
Dublin And Tyrone Seen As Outsiders For A League Crown
Despite only losing last year’s final on a penalty shootout, Dublin are currently seen as outsiders for a league final triumph at 8/1.
The news that Jack McCaffrey, Paul Mannion and Michael Fitzsimons are unlikely to return to a set-up that has already lost Brian Fenton and James McCarthy suggests team manager Dessie Farrell is going to continue with a rebuilding phase for the remainder of the 2025 league.
Con O’Callaghan will return to the squad in the coming weeks following his heroics in the club championship with Cuala, but evidence to date indicates this could be a mixed campaign for Dublin.
Although their second game of the league ended in that eight-point reversal to Armagh, Tyrone are a slightly bigger price than Dublin for the National Football League at 10/1 with GAA betting sites.
Their opening round win over Derry means they are still very much amongst the chasing pack and their odds could shorten by achieving some more positive results in the coming weeks.
Derry And Mayo Not Seen As Major Challengers
Defending champions Derry were much improved against Kerry last weekend after coming up short to Tyrone on their first day out in 2025, with new manager Paddy Tally gradually finding his feet in the Oak Leaf hotseat.
Yet two losses from two leaves has put pressure on the Ulster county and their current odds of 80/1 with BoyleSports suggests that a second successive Division One crown might be out of reach.
Mayo have generally been very competitive in the National Football League over recent years, but consecutive defeats to Dublin and Galway has them facing the threat of relegation in the early stages of 2025.
The likes of Jordan Flynn, Aidan O’Shea and Patrick Durcan are still to return to the fold, but even though they will undoubtedly make them a better team, the green and red are also outsiders for a league success from their current vantage point with bookies odds as long as 50/1.
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