Bloomington, IL (WAND) – Tuesday morning, member schools of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) approved all 12 amendment proposals that appeared during the annual referendum process.

Several significant changes were approved by the voters, including the expansion of the IHSA Football playoffs by 16 teams in each class. With the increase to 48 teams in each division (1A-8A), the total number of playoff qualifiers rises from 256 programs to 384.

Among other major changes that will go into effect in the 2026 season is the decision to enable teams to play their first regular season contests one week earlier. The season start date of August 10, 2026, remains the same, however, games can now be scheduled as early as August 20, eliminating the Week Zero scrimmage.

In a release to WAND News, IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson expressed the reasoning for the changes.

“Too often throughout the years, football decisions have negatively impacted other sports at IHSA schools,” Anderson said. “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.”

Other key adjustments which were approved include the expansion of the IHSA’s Board of Directors from 11 elected members to 15. Co-Op sports teams with 3,500 students or more will no longer be eligible for State Series team awards. The IHSA’s no-contact period in the summer is also being moved earlier into the season, from early August to the Week of July 4th.

More than 90% of the IHSA’s 802 member high schools took part in the 2025 voting process.