The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Guinness Hurling Championship) was the 117th since its establishment in 1887. The first matches of the season were played in May 2003, and the championship ended on 14 September 2003. Kilkenny went into the 2003 championship as defending champions, having won their twenty-seventh All-Ireland title the previous year.
The championship culminated with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by Kilkenny and Cork. It was their first meeting in the final since 1999. Kilkenny won the game by 1âÂÂ14 to 1âÂÂ11. It was their second All-Ireland title in succession.
Promoted from the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
Regraded to the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
The lower ranked 7 teams in the province contest these rounds. The winners advance to the semi-finals and the losers advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.
The quarter-final winner and 3 highest ranked teams contest this round. The winners advance to the final and the losers advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.
The 2 semi-final winners contest this game. The Leinster champions advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the Leinster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers round 2.
Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford
The lower ranked 4 teams in the province contest this round. The winners advance to the semi-finals and the losers advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.
The 2 quarter-final winners and 2 highest ranked teams contest this round. The winners advance to the final and the losers advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.
The 2 semi-final winners contest this game. The Munster champions advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals and the Munster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers round 2.
Antrim, Derry, Down, London, New York
The lower ranked 2 teams in the province contest this round. The winners advance to the semi-finals and the losers are eliminated from the championship.
The quarter-final winners and 3 highest ranked teams contest this round. The winners advance to the final and the losers are eliminated from the championship.
The 2 semi-final winners contest this game. The Ulster champions advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals and the Ulster runners-up advance to the All-Ireland qualifiers.
The 3 winners of the qualifiers join the Ulster champions to make up the quarter-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate quarter-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the semi-finals.
The winners of the quarter-finals join the Leinster and Munster champions to make up the semi-final pairings. Teams who may have already met in the provincial championships are kept apart in separate semi-finals where possible. Two teams are eliminated at this stage while the winners advance to the final.
The two winners of the semi-finals contest this game.
Twenty two counties will compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: one team in the Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, ten teams in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, six teams in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship and five teams in the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship.
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The provincial champions are marked by an asterisk.