Westmeath to start against Louth and finish with Roscommon clash

Westmeath's first Allianz Football League fixture under new manager Dermot McCabe will be a home game against Louth on Sunday, January 26.

The fixtures for 2025 were released yesterday and in a Division 2 campaign which will include local derbies against Cavan, Meath and Roscommon, Westmeath will finish with a clash against the Rossies on March 23.

Having reached the last two Leinster finals, Louth would be regarded by most observers as the second team best in the province over the past couple of years. Ger Brennan's charges also reached this year's All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals by knocking out Cork in a preliminary quarter-final.

Louth, then managed by Mickey Harte, claimed victory over Westmeath during the 2023 Leinster championship with a strong comeback as Westmeath were unable to build on an impressive first-half display.

Westmeath's first away league game is a trip to Clones to face Monaghan, who were relegated from Division 1 earlier this year. This will be followed by a long trip to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh to face Cork on Saturday, February 15.

McCabe will be in opposition to his native Cavan in the fourth round on February 23, with Westmeath having home advantage.

In the fifth round a week later, Westmeath will host traditional rivals Meath, who now have former Kilmacud Crokes manager Robbie Brennan in charge.

Westmeath will renew rivalry with Down in the sixth round after the sides meet twice during this year's Division 3 campaign. The teams played out an exciting draw in Mullingar, with Westmeath going on to edge out the Mourne men in the Division 3 final at Croke Park. Along with the Cork game, the fixture against Down will be played on a Saturday.

As previously mentioned, Westmeath will finish their programme of games against Roscommon, with the Lake County men at home. Davy Burke's charges were relegated from Division 1 earlier this year and will be expected to mount a strong challenge to bounce back up, so the stakes could be high when the neighbouring counties meet in Mullingar.

Interestingly, former Donegal star Mark McHugh, who is part of Dermot McCabe's Westmeath management team, was a coach/selector with the Roscommon senior team in 2023.

With a number of key players such as Kevin Maguire, James Dolan, David Lynch and Andy McCormack either retired or unavailable, Westmeath face a daunting challenge to retain their place in Division 2.

Considering the calibre of opposition facing them, the fact that Westmeath have four home games out of seven will be welcomed by by supporters and all involved with the team.

With no pre-seasons competitions, such as the O'Byrne Cup, being held in 2025 and a raft of rule changes coming into Gaelic football, all counties face a major challenge to be ready for the start of the league campaign. See all of Westmeath's fixtures below.

2025 Allianz Football League Division 2 - Westmeath's fixtures

Round 1 - Sunday, January 26: TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar (2pm), Westmeath v Louth.

Round 2 - Sunday, February 2: St. Tiernach’s Park, Clones (2pm), Monaghan v Westmeath.

Round 3 - Saturday, February 15: SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh (5pm), Cork v Westmeath.

Round 4 - Sunday, February 23: TEG Cusack Park (2pm), Westmeath v Cavan.

Round 5 - Sunday, March 2: TEG Cusack Park (2pm), Westmeath v Meath.

Round 6 - Saturday, March 15: Páirc Esler, Newry (6pm), Down v Westmeath.

Round 7 - Sunday, March 23: TEG Cusack Park (1.30), Westmeath v Roscommon.