The road to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) state football championships is almost here.
The 2026 NCHSAA football playoffs begin Nov. 6, with teams across North Carolina competing in eight classifications from 1A through 8A. The playoff brackets will be finalized on Oct. 31 following the conclusion of the regular season.
NC Football News will track the NCHSAA football playoffs from start to finish. This page will serve as our central home for the 2026 postseason, with links to brackets for all eight classifications, playoff schedules, scores, results and state championship information.
Until the brackets are released, we’ll also keep you up to date on the playoff format, important dates and other information you need to know as the postseason approaches.
🔄 Last Updated: October 5, 2026 10:49 pm
2026 NCHSAA football playoff brackets
NC Football News will have dedicated playoff pages for all eight NCHSAA classifications. Brackets will be added following the NCHSAA bracketing process on Oct. 31, with scores and matchups updated throughout the postseason.
Find your bracket
(Coming soon)
1A | 2A | 3A | 4A | 5A | 6A | 7A | 8A
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2026 NCHSAA Football Playoff Dates to Know
- Friday, Oct. 30 – Final regular-season games
- Saturday, Oct. 31 – NCHSAA releases official 1A-8A brackets
- Friday, Nov. 6 – First-round games at higher seed
- Friday, Nov. 13 – Second-round games at higher seed
- Friday, Nov. 20 – Third-round games at higher seed
- Friday, Nov. 27 – Fourth-round games at higher seed
- Friday, Dec. 4 – Regional finals (East, West) at higher seed
- Dec. 10-12 – State championship games at neutral sites
How the 2026 NCHSAA Football Playoff Brackets Work
The NCHSAA uses its Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) standings to determine playoff qualifiers and seed teams for the 2026 football playoffs.
Classes 1A through 7A will have 48-team playoff fields, with 24 teams assigned to both the East and West regions. The 8A playoffs will feature a 24-team field, with 12 teams in each region.
Once the playoff field is determined, teams are divided into East and West regions based on geographic location and seeded according to their final RPI ranking. Higher-seeded teams will host playoff games through the regional championship round.
The NCHSAA calculates football RPI using three components:
- Winning percentage (WP): 40%
- Opponents’ winning percentage (OWP): 40%
- Opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage (OOWP): 20%
The final RPI standings will help determine which teams qualify for the postseason and where they are seeded when the official 2026 NCHSAA football playoff brackets are released Oct. 31.
2026 NCHSAA Football State Championship Sites
The NCHSAA has released its venues for the upcoming state championship games, to be played Dec. 10-12. Three sites have been chosen, with classification assignments and game dates/times to be announced at a later date:
- Kenan Stadium (UNC) will host four NCHSAA title games for the second year in a row. The iconic stadium in Chapel Hill has hosted 88 high school football championship events already, dating back to 1929.
- Moretz Stadium (Lenoir-Rhyne) will return as a host for two games for the second year in a row. Moretz was used for the first time in 2025 and also will host the upcoming women’s flag football title games on Nov. 14.
- Barker-Lane Stadium (Campbell) will make its debut as an NCHSAA football championship game host and also will feature two games.
2025 NCHSAA Football State Championship Results
8A: Hough 21, Millbrook 0
7A: Grimsley 24, Clayton 14
6A: Watauga 47, Middle Creek 25
5A: Crest 31, Hunt 14
4A: Reidsville 50, Brevard 20
3A: Shelby 84, Kinston 41
2A: Tarboro 22, Murphy 0
1A: Wilson Prep 9, Robbinsville 8
More North Carolina High School Football Coverage
Follow the North Carolina high school football season from the final weeks of the regular season through the playoffs with more coverage from NC Football News:
- NC High School Football Scoreboard – Find the latest scores, schedules and results from games across North Carolina.
- NC Football News Fabulous 15 Rankings – See our latest statewide Fabulous 15 rankings and the teams making a push toward the postseason.
- NCHSAA Football State Champions – Explore the history of North Carolina high school football state champions and championship results, from 1913 to present.
- 2025 NCHSAA Football Playoff Brackets – Look back at last season’s complete NCHSAA playoff brackets and results from 1A through 8A.
