Editor’s note: Morrison High School Football Coach Nate Vandermyde supplied a photo of one-of-six new, pebble leather, game balls for the 2026 season. The Wilson GST models have a mustang motif.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and MaxPreps have officially released the 2026 Illinois High School Football schedules for the upcoming fall season.
The 2026 season culminates with the IHSA Football State Finals on November 27-to-28, hosted at Hancock Stadium, on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal, IL. The playoffs that precede the eight State Title games will look very different in 2026. IHSA member high schools voted in December 2025 to expand the number of playoff qualifiers by class for the first time since 1985.
Each of the eight classes will see its playoff bracket grow from 32 qualifiers to 48 qualifiers. That brings the total number of playoff qualifiers from 256 teams to 384 teams.
In order to help maintain historical consistency in the number of competing teams per round, the IHSA playoff rounds will be titled Opening Round, First Round, Second Round, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals.
Dates for the 2026 IHSA Football Playoffs are as follows:
• 2026 IHSA Football Playoff Round Date
• Opening Round October 23-to-24
• First Round October 30-to-31
• Second Round November 6-to-7
• Quarterfinals November 13-to-14
• Semifinals November 20-to-21
• State Finals November 27-to-28.
The nine-week regular season, which begins with Week 1 games on August 20-to-22, will determine the 384 playoff qualifiers. They will be revealed during a live telecast, airing Statewide at 9:00 p.m., on Saturday, October 17.