Illinois Sets New Date For Start Of High School Football Season

IHSA approves proposal to begin 2026 high school football season on August 5.

IHSA

The Illinois high school football season will start earlier this year, as the Illinois High School Association approved a proposal.

The first official practice for the 2026 Illinois high school football season is now set for Wednesday, August 5, with 12 on-field, 90-minute sessions required before the first game can take place.

Dead week will now be held June 29-July 5, 2026 in Illinois, which means no practices, meets or any school-related activities can take place.

The decision to move the start of the season up coincides with the change in the Illinois high school football playoffs, which will expand to 128 teams across eight classes this coming fall.

Illinois High School Association Took Into Account Player Safety Measures

“Despite the cumbersome nature of the process, I am confident this outcome is in the best interest of student-athlete safety,” Illinois High School Association executive director Craig Anderson said in a press release. “We recognize that our member schools may bring forward ideas to alter the 2027 football season schedule as a result, and we welcome that.

“However, given that we are less than six months from the season, we believe this is a positive result that provides scheduling clarity for teams, coaches and student-athletes ahead of the 2026 season, while prioritizing safety.”

Voting took place with member schools, as it passed, 290-245 with 67 having no opinion, with the proposal passing by 45 votes or 75 percent.

Change Came After Playoff Expansion Was Approved

This past December, the IHSA member schools voted to expand the playoffs by one more week, which required changes to the preseason schedule to be made.

Following that vote, the IHSA conducted extensive discussions with the IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and other state and national leaders on play safety, which ultimately led the IHSA Board of Directors to initiate the process of a special vote to address both.