DEERFIELD, 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. 20-22. 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 Deerfield, fans will especially be keeping tabs the Deerfield High School Warriors.
Brandon Geuder returns for his second season as head coach of the Deerfield football team, which finished the 2025 season with a record of 1-8 with no IHSA playoff berth.
This fall, the Warriors will compete in the Suburban Central (Central) conference alongside Highland Park, Glenbrook North (Northbrook) and Niles West (Skokie)
Here is a look at the 2026 schedule for Deerfield, according to the IHSA and MaxPreps:
Suburban Central (Central)— coached by Brandon Geuder
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Deerfield Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.