Here comes Tipperary as their supporters rise to greet Liam Cahill's men.

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The Cork team is racing out onto the field to a huge ovation. Serious numbers from Leeside have made the journey and seem to be in the majority as I look around the stadium.

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Cork advanced to the Munster SHC final by finishing second behind Limerick on points difference in the group stages.

The Rebels went on to win their provincial decider against the Treaty County thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout success and Pat Ryan's side progressed to the All-Ireland final courtesy of a thumping 7-26 to 2-21 victory over Dublin at the semi-final stage.

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Tipperary's route to the final involved them taking their place in the preliminary quarter-finals where they saw off Laois on a 3-32 to 0-18 scoreline.

Liam Cahill's men then got the better of Galway 1-28 to 2-17 in their last-eight encounter, before defeating Kilkenny 4-20 to 0-30 in their semi-final meeting.

The Munster rivals will be facing each other in an All-Ireland final for the first time but it will be a sixth all-Munster final.

Alongside our stellar team of pundits we have a few famous faces at Croke Park!

Singer Tom Grennan, Tipperary jockey Rachel Blackmore and actor Paul Mescal are in situ and we will hear from them during our live coverage that is starting soon.

David Mohan
BBC NI at Croke Park

It is a rivalry woven into the fabric of hurling history and today, Cork and Tipperary get ready for the latest instalment with the game's biggest prize on the line.

Long before the foundation of the GAA as we know it, there was Cork versus Tipperary with their first recorded meeting taking place near Rathcormac, County Cork in 1741.

Throughout the years, the fixture would dominate Munster final day as two of hurling's traditional 'big three' - which also includes Leinster's Kilkenny - battled for provincial honours and another step towards All-Ireland glory with Cork second in the roll of honour with 30 titles, two ahead of Tipperary in third.

However, it has been 20 years since Liam MacCarthy last visited the banks of the Lee, with Cork coming up short four finals since their last triumph in 2005.

Tipperary's wait is considerably shorter, with victory over Kilkenny in the 2019 final their 28th triumph, but the Premier County's hunger for success is no less ravenous as they have a proud record to defend as they have been crowned champions in each decade since the formation of the GAA in the 1884, but are yet to scale the mountain the 2020s.

Ever since the introduction of the 'back door' in 1997, initially giving the losing provincial finalists in Munster and Leinster a second chance in the All-Ireland series, both counties have used this route to their advantage with Tipperary recovering from a Munster final loss that year against Clare to reach hurling's biggest day, only to fall to The Banner once again.

That all-Munster clash was viewed as a novelty, but an All-Ireland final between counties from the same province is no longer considered as such. However, this will be the first time hurling has produced a Cork-Tipperary final.

Read more: All-Ireland hurling final: Cork and Tipperary meet in unique decider - BBC Sport

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BBC Sounds

What better way to get ready for the final before our live coverage starts than to listen to the latest episode of the GAA Social.

It is a special one too, recorded in front of 2000 people at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Shane O'Donnell and Seamus Flanagan preview the All-Ireland hurling final.

Listen here: The GAA Social - Hurling Final preview With Shane O'Donnell & Seamus Flanagan - BBC Sounds

The players have arrived and Croke Park and look in the zone for this massive game.

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We have just Kilkenny, 2000 All-Ireland champions, introduced to the crowd as today's jubilee team.

We are minutes away from today's teams emerging from the tunnel with Cork due out first.

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Paul Murphy
Four-time All-Ireland winner with Kilkenny on BBC Sport NI

The Munster champions are hot favourites, particularly after beating Limerick in the Munster final.

Cork have been very impressive at various stages of the year, bar a few blips on the radar, including Limerick beating them in the round robin stage.

Tipperary have improved a lot better than many people would have expected, having failed to get out of Munster over the past couple of years. They really have been the big success story of this year.

When the sides met in the round robin stage Darragh McCarthy getting sent-off just at throw-in leaves us not knowing how these sides might size each other up as they played the entire game with 14 men.

That adds a bit more intrigue to the game. You can't take much from that day because Cork totally overwhelmed Tipperary.

Tipp come in as underdogs, but they were very impressive in their semi-final [a 4-20 to 0-30 win over Kilkenny]. They'll realise they are just 70 minutes from winning an All-Ireland final. Anything can happen on the day.

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Neil McManus
Former Antrim star on BBC Sport NI

It's unbelievable to think that Cork and Tipperary have never met before in an All-Ireland final.

Every season, these two counties battle it out in the Munster Championship, but today will be a totally different occasion when the teams enter the coliseum that is Croke Park.

Between them, they have lifted Liam McCarthy 58 times - two of the most successful hurling counties in the history of the sport, and I cannot wait to have a ringside seat for this titanic tussle.

Cork were at headquarters only 12 months ago remember, losing out to a Tony Kelly-inspired Clare side during possibly the best All-Ireland hurling final ever witnessed after extra time.

This will be Tipperary's first final appearance since 2019 when they romped to victory over Kilkenny - in fact this year's semi-final win was their first Croke Park appearance since that final six years ago.

Their paths to this showpiece have been somewhat different and in truth, few would have predicted we would have got this final at the beginning of 2025!

As mentioned, The All-Ireland final will be shown live on BBC Two across the UK, and on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Coverage of the match will commence at 15:00 BST, with Sarah Mulkerrins presenting. Throw-in is at 15:30.

She will be joined in studio by 2024 Hurler of the Year Shane O'Donnell, four-time All-Ireland winner Paul Murphy, Antrim great Neil McManus and at half-time by Cork legend Jimmy Barry Murphy.

Mark Sidebottom will have decorated multiple Cork All-Star Diarmuid O'Sullivan and celebrated former Tipp All-Ireland winner Seamus Callanan for company at pitchside.

Thomas Niblock will provide commentary, with expert analysis from co-commentators Jamesie O'Connor and Limerick's Seamus Flanagan.

Let's hear a few early thoughts from our pundits...

Fans of both sides are starting to gather outside Croke Park in Dublin with a sea of red and blue filling in the streets.

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Croke Park is ready for the big day and to welcome the lucky 82,300 spectators who managed to get a ticket for the final.

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The crowd is beginning to build inside Croke Park now as we are less than an hour away from throw-in. Those keen to get a good vantage point on Hill 16 have got in early with red the dominant colour as it stands, but there are plenty of Tipperary fans around the stadium.

To set the scene of what is to come this afternoon, watch this video on hurling, narrated by Limerick's five-time All-Ireland winner Seamus Flanagan.

Happy All-Ireland hurling final day!

The stage is set at Croke Park for this year's showpiece occasion of the inter-county hurling season.

The decider pits Cork against fellow Munster side Tipperary, the first time the two provincial rivals have contested the final and it is a mouth-watering prospect

As league and Munster champions, Cork start as pre-match favourites to land the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

The Rebels will be aiming for a 31st All-Ireland success and a first since 2005 as they seek to make amends for the heartache of their one-point extra-time defeat by Clare in the final 12 months ago.

Tipperary target a 29th victory in the Dublin showdown, six years after their most recent triumph in 2019.

The game will be broadcast live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and we will have live text commentary and in-play clips so you will not miss a minute of the action.

We hope you enjoy, it should be a cracker!

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