At the December 15th Board of Directors meeting, the IHSA voted to approve expansion for the high school football playoffs. Starting with the 2026 season, Illinois will see playoff teams increase from the current 32 teams per class to 48 teams per class, raising the number of total IHSA playoff qualifiers from 256 qualifiers to 384. There are no changes to the number of playoff classes in football, which will remain at eight.
16 more playoff teams in each class
“Too often throughout the years, football decisions have negatively impacted other sports at IHSA schools,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. ” 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. It may create some short-term complications for some schools, conferences, and coaches, but we remain optimistic it will create long-term stability in football and beyond.”
The top 16 teams in each class will now receive a first round bye. In order to make up for the extra playoff week, the regular season is being moved up one week. The 2026 season will now begin on August 20th.
A key aspect that encouraged support for the proposal was the difficulty some programs have had in scheduling regular-season games as some schools tried to avoid playing top competition in order to reach five wins.
Critics of the proposal point out that adding more teams waters down the achievement of making the playoffs.
The DuPage Valley Conference, made up of Naperville North, Naperville Central, Metea Valley, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley, and DeKalb was one of several conferences to submit the 16-team expansion proposal. Naperville North was the lone DVC team to qualify for the 8A playoffs this season.
Other IHSA schedule changes
Among other changes approved by the IHSA, the 2026 high school softball season is being moved up one week with the regular season now beginning the week of March 9th. The boys volleyball season is also being moved up one week, starting in 2027. The girls wrestling season will be moved up multiple weeks, also starting in the 2026-27 season.
Cooperative sports teams made-up of 3,500 students or more will no longer be eligible to compete for IHSA State Series team awards.
The IHSA’s no-contact period in the summer will be moved from early August to the week of the Fourth of July beginning this summer.
Students will now be able to participate in two non-school competitions during a sport season and an additional non-school competition that is sanctioned by the National Governing Body of that sport or its junior or official Illinois affiliate.
Glenbard South and Naperville North each submitted an approved proposal that establishes guidance for each school organize 20 academically athletes to participate in one IHSA-approved football combine or showcase per school year.
