Clare v Waterford Predictions, Betting Tips & Odds [2026]
| Timetable | 19th April, 14:00 GMT |
| Prediction | Clare To Win! |
| Odds | 1.40 |
| Bookmaker | Lunubet Sports |
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Clare will begin their 2026 Munster Senior Hurling Championship campaign when they face off against Waterford at Páirc Chíosóg on Sunday, April 19th, at 14:00 GMT.
For those curious about what TV channel Clare v Waterford is on, don’t worry, RTÉ Sport will be broadcasting the match as part of the Championship coverage. In this Clare v Waterford preview we will share our thoughts on the match, including our Clare v Waterford prediction ahead of the throw-in on April 19th.
We will also give you the latest Clare v Waterford odds, as well as some Clare v Waterford betting tips that may prove useful as we look forward to the start of the 2026 Munster Senior Hurling Championship.
🏆 Clare vs Waterford Prediction
Both these sides enter the 2026 Munster Championship with a point to prove after being eliminated at the Round-Robin stage of the 2025 Championship. For Clare in particular that was especially humiliating as they entered the 2025 season as defending All-Ireland champions, having beaten Cork in the 2024 decider.
For Waterford it has been a long time since they made any sort of impact in the Munster Championship. In fact, since the start of the round-robin format in 2018, Waterford have only made it out of Munster once, in 2020, when it was an old-school, straight knockout competition due to Covid.
They reached the All-Ireland that year, losing to Limerick, but have had a turbulent time since. Clare have had a great 2026 so far, winning the Division 1B league title and gaining promotion to Division 1A for 2027.
They won all their games, including the final against Dublin, and will head into their opening game against Waterford full of confidence as they look to atone for last year’s disappointment. Waterford had a poor league, culminating in their relegation from 1A.
They did manage to beat eventual winners Limerick, however, so they will cling to hopes of a repeat performance when they travel to Ennis on April 19th. Waterford will be desperate to get their 2026 championship off to a good start to give themselves a chance in this year’s competition, but to be honest we just can’t see it happening.
Clare’s renewed confidence and their hunger to make up for last year should see them through on the opening day, and that is why our Clare v Waterford prediction is for a Clare win.
OUR PREDICTION: 🏆 CLARE TO WIN 🏆
💯 Clare vs Waterford Betting Odds
Clare are solid favourites to beat Waterford if you look at the latest Clare v Waterford odds with a selection of Ireland’s best betting sites. Below you will find the latest Clare v Waterford odds with some of these betting sites.
✔️ Clare vs Waterford Betting Tips
At this stage of our Clare v Waterford preview, we are now going to give you some Clare v Waterford betting tips that may prove useful for those with some free bet offers to use ahead of the match.
Before having a bet on the match, check out our sports bookie reviews page? Here, you can find out lots more about any of the betting sites listed.
- Tip 1: Clare to win: Clare may have been operating in Division 1B of the National Hurling League, but the confidence and unbeaten run in the league should give Brian Lohan’s team should not be underestimated. Their poor 2025 championship showing will surely motivate the 2024 All Ireland champions to fare better this year, and we expect them to get their 2026 campaign off and running with a win against Waterford. Waterford have only won 4 of their 16 Munster Championship matches over the last 4 seasons and should find it difficult to add to that tally on April 19th. To back Clare, you can currently get a price of 1.44 with BoyleSports on the Banner kicking off their 2026 Munster Championship with a win.
- Tip 2: Shane Meehan for first goalscorer: Shane Meehan was one of Clare’s standout performers in the league, hitting 3-16 over Clare’s 7 matches as the Banner County raced back to Division 1A. Meehan will want to continue that fine form in the championship, so keep an eye out for the goalscorer markets as the match draws nearer.
- Tip 3: Clare – 3 Handicap: Clare won all 7 of their league matches, with only Dublin and Wexford putting up any kind of resistance against Brian Lohan’s team. They beat Dublin by 2 and 3 points, respectively, over their 2 league meetings, while Wexford got within 3 in their contest. Clare will want to start their 2026 Munster campaign with a bang, in front of their home fans, so we fancy they can beat the handicap mark of -3 in their meeting with Waterford on the opening weekend. If you agree, you can currently get a price of 1.90 with DirectionBet on Clare -3.
📈 Clare Squad Form
Clare go into their Munster opener with Waterford on the back of an unbeaten National Hurling League. During the league, Brian Lohan’s team won 7 from 7, including a 2-26 – 3-20 win over Dublin in the Division 1B final.
Mark Rodgers, Shane Meehan and Shan O’Donnell led the line brilliantly for Clare in that win over Dublin, contributing 2-16 between them, and Clare fans will hope that they can provide the scores once again when they welcome Waterford to Páirc Chíosóg.
⚽ Waterford Squad Form
Waterford have had a tricky time of it in the Munster Championship recently, failing to get out of the round-robin series in any of the last 4 seasons. They were relegated to Division 1B of the league this year, only winning 2 of their 6 games, though they did have a 1-21 – 0-20 victory over Limerick in Round 2.
Reuben Halloran certainly stepped up in the league for his team, hitting 1-48 across their 6 matches, while Peter Queally will hope the likes of Dessie Hutchinson, Tadhg De Búrca and Jamie Barron can make their mark as they try and make an impact in this year’s Munster Championship.
👕 Clare vs Waterford Predicted Lineups
This is the first match for both teams in this year’s championship, so to give you an idea of what their respective starting 15s may look like, we have listed their starting line-ups from their final National Hurling League games.
6-2-6
6-2-6
6-2-6
6-2-6
✒️ Clare vs Waterford - H2H Stats
Since the 2018 Munster Championship, when the round-robin format was introduced, Clare have had the upper hand in the Clare v Waterford H2H stats. In their 7 Munster Championship clashes since 2018, Clare have 6 victories to Waterford’s solitary win, which came in 2025.
Below you can see a summary of their last 3 championship meetings.
🎯 Updates from GAA Twitter (X)
With the matches coming thick and fast throughout the Championship season, the best way to keep up-to-date with everything that’s going on in the world of GAA is to follow their social media pages.
You can do so by clicking the link, below.
Liam Lacey
Liam is a sportswriter from County Laois in Ireland who specializes in delivering content on GAA and Football matters (though he does see himself as somewhat of a tennis aficionado also!). Liam has written about All Ireland Gaelic Football and Hurling Championships, Premier League, Champions League and International Football offering expert opinion and match previews and predictions. Occasionally even getting some right!