IHSA Approves Expansion of Illinois High School Football Playoffs Beginning in 2026

From expanded football playoffs to board changes, IHSA schools approved sweeping by-law amendments with statewide impact. Officials say the expansion will improve scheduling and long-term stability and moves regular-season games up one week.

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Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Structural changes to high school football in Illinois will benefit teams around the state. Quality programs can schedule games against top-tier opponents like Byron and Unity without the potential loss affecting playoff eligibility.

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BLOOMINGTON - Friday nights in October are about to mean a little more to a lot more Illinois high school football teams next fall.

Illinois high school football will see its largest postseason field in state history beginning in 2026, after member schools approved a sweeping expansion of the IHSA football playoffs. The change reshapes not just who gets in, but how schools schedule, compete and stay invested long after the first losses of the season.

In a move away from a five-win season to qualify, the change means that teams with four or less wins during the season may become playoff eligible.

Schools voted this month to expand the playoffs from 32 teams per class to 48 teams per class, increasing the total number of qualifiers from 256 to 384 while keeping eight classes intact. The vote was part of the IHSA’s annual by-law referendum process, which concluded Dec. 15 and was independently certified the following morning.

IHSA officials say the move is aimed less at exclusivity and more at long-term stability across the sport.

“Too often throughout the years, football decisions have negatively impacted other sports at IHSA schools,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said. “We are hopeful that this football playoff expansion will provide intended relief to our schools by stabilizing conference movement and eliminating the difficulty of scheduling football games that many of our schools face each year.”

Under the previous format, teams needed five wins to qualify, a threshold that drove schools to avoid strong nonconference opponents or scramble late to fill open dates. The expanded field is expected to reduce that pressure, encouraging more balanced scheduling and fewer late-season cancellations.

The change also keeps more teams mathematically alive deeper into the season, increasing the number of meaningful games in October and helping maintain student-athlete engagement even after early losses or injury setbacks.

Beginning in 2026, the football season will still start Aug. 10, but the first regular-season games will be played one week earlier, on Aug. 20, eliminating the traditional Week Zero scrimmage. The adjustment brings Illinois in line with neighboring states such as Indiana and Michigan, a move coaches say should ease cross-border scheduling challenges.

The expanded playoff field is expected to allow most teams with three or four wins in the nine-game regular season to qualify. Previously, all five-win teams and only some four-win teams advanced. Every team already qualifies for the postseason in other IHSA-sponsored sports.

While the expansion was approved unanimously by the membership, some coaches have raised concerns about competitive balance.

“I’m all for kids playing more football and getting more practices,” Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch told the Chicago Sun-Times. “But what about potential injury risk? There are some teams that have three wins that are not very good football teams.”

IHSA officials acknowledge the possibility of short-term growing pains, including first-round mismatches, but note that such issues already exist under the current format. They point instead to the developmental benefits of postseason participation, particularly for rebuilding and mid-tier programs that gain additional practices and exposure through playoff preparation.

Beyond football, schools also approved several governance and policy changes. The IHSA Board of Directors will expand from 11 to 15 elected members, adding four seats designated for superintendents or heads of school. Cooperative teams made up of 3,500 students or more will no longer be eligible for state series team awards, and the IHSA’s summer no-contact period will shift from early August to the week of the Fourth of July beginning this year.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

High school football fans will enjoy a longer season and give many schools an opportunity to host a state playoff game on their home field.

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For many communities, the football expansion carries significance beyond the field. More playoff games mean increased gate revenue, additional school-hosted events and deeper community engagement during the fall.

“It may create some short-term complications for some schools, conferences, and coaches,” Anderson said, “but we remain optimistic it will create long-term stability in football and beyond.”

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