The championship begins with sixteen teams competing in four groups of four teams before proceeding to a knock-out format with the overall winners receiving the Gerry Fegan Cup.
Crossmaglen Rangers were the defending champions after they defeated Ballymacnab in the 2018 final. They successfully defended their title when defeating the same opposition in the final on 20 October at the Athletic Grounds to claim their record 45th title.
This was St. Peter's Lurgan's and Culloville Blues' return to the senior grade after they claimed the 2017 I.F.C./I.A.F.L. titles and second in I.A.F.L., respectively.
High Moss Sarsfields and Culloville Blues were relegated to the I.F.C. and I.A.F.L. for 2020 after they finished seventh and eighth in the S.B.F.L. respectively. They will be replaced by the I.F.C. champions Grange St. Colmcille's as well as I.A.F.L. champions Mullaghbawn Cuchulainn's.
All 16 teams enter the competition at this stage. The top 2 teams in each group go into the quarter-finals while the bottom team of each group enter the relegation playoffs. The team named first in each round listed below received home advantage.