# 2026 IHSA State Football Playoffs

> Illinois high school football playoffs set for 2026 with opening round on Oct 23-24.
- Title: 2026 IHSA State Football Playoffs · Chicago Sun-Times
- Summary: Illinois high school football playoffs set for 2026 with opening round on Oct 23-24. Illinois high school football playoffs begin October 23 with 8 classes…
- Keywords: ihsa, high school football, state playoffs, class 1a, class 2a, class 3a, class 4a, class 5a, class 6a, class 7a, class 8a, opening round
- Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/high-school-football/scores/2026/10/17/high-school-football-ihsa-state-playoff-pairings-brackets-illinois-2026
- Published: 2026-10-18T03:02:32.482+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ihsa, high school football, state playoffs, class 1a, class 2a, class 3a, class 4a, class 5a, class 6a, class 7a, class 8a, opening round
## 2026 IHSA State Football Playoffs
Illinois high school football playoffs have been announced for 2026 with 8 classes competing.
## Opening Round Dates
Opening Round games begin Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24, 2026.
## Championship Location
State championship games will be held at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.
## Class 1A-4A Title Games
Class 1A through 4A title games will take place on Friday, November 27, 2026.
## Class 5A-8A Title Games
Class 5A through 8A title games will be held on Saturday, November 28, 2026.
## Seeding System
In Class 7A and 8A, 48 teams are seeded #1 through #48 with top 16 receiving a bye.
## Class 1A-6A Seeding
In Class 1A through 6A, each half has 24 teams seeded #1 through #24 with top 8 receiving a bye.
## Playoff Structure
Opening Round winners join bye teams in Round 1 to advance to the next round.
## Key takeaway

Illinois high school football playoffs begin October 23 with 8 classes competing for state championships.