Members of the Illinois High School Association voted and approved 12 proposed by-laws after the annual all-school referendum. One of the biggest changes comes to high school football, which will see the playoff field expand from a total of 256 teams to 384.

Moving forward, there will be 384 teams that make the playoffs instead of 256. The number of classes will not change, so each of the eight classes will have 48 teams instead of 32. The season start date will remain Aug. 10, but the first regular-season games will be played Aug. 20, one week earlier than originally planned.

On Monday, IHSA member schools approved all 12 amendment proposals that were on the all-school ballot during an annual meeting. Included in the proposals was an amendment to expand the IHSA Football Playoffs from 32 teams per class to 48 teams per class.

IHSA expands football playoffs to 384 teams in 2026, eliminates Week 0 and moves Week 1 up, forcing ADs to redo cross-state schedules.

IHSA member schools approved an expansion of the football playoffs to 48 teams per class, part of 12 by-law amendments passed in a statewide vote.