North Carolina High School Football Postseason Central
Follow the 2026 NCHSAA high school football playoffs with complete East and West brackets, scores and the road to eight state championships.
CLASSIFICATION
8A State Playoff Bracket
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How do the NCHSAA football playoffs work?
How the brackets work: The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) crowns champions in eight classifications, from 1A through 8A. Each class has East and West brackets seeded by the final Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Each regional winner advances to one state championship game. Game numbers progress East then West in each round and include byes, starting over at Game 1 for each classification. The final 2026 brackets contain 24 teams in 1A, 48 teams in each class from 2A through 7A and 24 teams in 8A. Byes account for the smaller fields, so class brackets have different numbers of rounds.
When games are played: First round Nov. 6; second round Nov. 13; third round Nov. 20. Nov. 27 is the regional final for 1A and 8A and the fourth round for 2A–7A. The 2A–7A regional finals are Dec. 4. State championships will be held Dec. 10–12, with specific classification dates and kickoff times to be announced.
Where the championships are: Kenan Stadium at UNC in Chapel Hill (four games), Helen & Leonard Moretz Stadium at Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory (two) and Barker-Lane Stadium at Campbell in Buies Creek (two). Venue assignments for specific classifications remain unannounced.
Sources: NCHSAA football championship calendar and official NCHSAA final brackets released Oct. 31, 2026.