BLUE ISLAND, IL—The Illinois High School Association and MaxPreps have released the 2026 high school football schedules for the upcoming fall season.
The nine-week regular season begins with Week 1 games scheduled for Aug. 20 through Aug. 22. The season culminates with the IHSA Football State Finals on Nov. 27-28 at Hancock Stadium on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.
The postseason will have a significantly different look this year after IHSA member schools voted to expand the football playoffs for the first time since 1985.
Each of the eight classes will have 48 playoff qualifiers, up from 32. The change expands the total field from 256 to 384 teams.
To maintain historical consistency in the number of teams competing in each stage, the playoff rounds will be called the Opening Round, First Round, Second Round, Quarterfinals and Semifinals.
The 2026 playoff schedule is:
The 384 playoff qualifiers will be revealed during a live statewide telecast at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17.
In Blue Island, fans will especially be keeping tabs on conference teams, as well as the area Catholic high schools Marist, St. Lawrence, Brother Rice, St. Rita and Mount Carmel.
Vincent Holmes returns for his third season as the head coach of the Eisenhower Cardinals, who finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 4-5 and 3-3 in the conference.
This fall, Eisenhower will compete in the South Suburban Conference (Red) alongside Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, Richards, Shepard, Reavis and Argo.
The Eisenhower Cardinals open the 2026 season on the road at home, Friday, Aug. 21, in a non-conference game against the Peotone Blue Devils, according to the IHSA and MaxPreps.
Here is a look at the 2026 schedule for Eisenhower, courtesy of MaxPreps:
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