Illinois high school football teams will be able to practice earlier in August to accommodate the expansion of the 2026 season.
The Illinois High School Association announced Friday that member schools voted to move the first practice date to Aug. 5, five days earlier than originally scheduled. That change comes nearly two months after the playoffs were expanded from 256 teams to 384 across eight classes and the start of the regular season was moved up a week to Aug. 20.
Players also will be required to practice for 12 days to be eligible for the first game. Lengthening the season without changing the first practice date would have limited players to nine practices before the first game, prompting concerns about player safety.
“Despite the cumbersome nature of the process, I am confident this outcome is in the best interest of student-athlete safety,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement. “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.”
