Florida’s high school football playoffs are set to begin Friday, Nov. 13, when Classes 1A–6A open with regional quarterfinals and the state’s inaugural Open Division begins pool play.
The new format gives eight of Florida’s top teams a separate championship to pursue, while also changing the field of contenders in the traditional classifications. Instead of entering their class brackets, the eight highest-ranked eligible teams will compete against one another for the Open Division title.
When Does Florida’s High School Football Regular Season End?
The FHSAA lists Friday, Oct. 23, as the final day for district games and Friday, Oct. 30, as the end of the regular season.
The scheduled playoff opener follows two weeks later, on Nov. 13. Classes 1A–6A will begin a single-elimination tournament, while Open Division qualifiers will start their three-game pool schedule.
What Is the 2026 Florida High School Football Playoff Schedule?
The first three weekends of the postseason will feature regional games in Classes 1A–6A and pool games in the Open Division. The semifinal schedules then split, with the traditional classes playing Friday, Dec. 4, and the Open Division playing Saturday, Dec. 5.
Classes 1A–6A
Nov. 13: Regional quarterfinals
Nov. 20: Regional semifinals
Nov. 27: Regional finals
Dec. 4: State semifinals
State championships: Dates to be announced
Open Division
Nov. 13, 20, and 27: Pool play
Dec. 5: State semifinals
Dec. 12: State championship
How Does Florida’s New Open Division Work?
The Open Division field will be selected using the final MaxPreps rankings at the conclusion of the regular season. The eight qualifiers will come from across Classes 1A–6A, allowing teams from different classifications to compete for the same championship.
Those teams will be divided into two pools according to their seeds:
Pool A: Nos. 1, 4, 5, and 8
Pool B: Nos. 2, 3, 6, and 7
Each team will play the other three teams in its pool, with every qualifier guaranteed at least one home game. The top two finishers from each pool will advance to the state semifinals.
The winner of Pool A will face the runner-up from Pool B, while the Pool B winner will meet the Pool A runner-up. The semifinal winners will advance to the Dec. 12 championship game.
That structure means a loss during pool play will not automatically eliminate a team. The tournament becomes single elimination once the four semifinalists are determined.
How Do Teams Qualify for the Class 1A–6A Playoffs?
Each classification will have a 32-team playoff bracket, divided into four regions with eight qualifiers per region.
Each region’s field will consist of four district champions and four at-large qualifiers. Teams will be seeded Nos. 1–8 using the final MaxPreps rankings.
District championships also carry a hosting benefit. In the regional quarterfinals, a district champion facing an at-large qualifier is designated as the host, even if the at-large team has the better seed. In later regional rounds, the higher seed is designated to host.
The four regional champions in each classification will advance to the state semifinals, with the two semifinal winners moving on to their class championship game.
Where Will Florida’s Football State Championships Be Played?
The Class 1A–6A championship games and the Open Division final will be played at South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium on Florida International University’s campus in Miami.
The Open Division semifinals will be held at The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium in Sumterville.
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