The University Interscholastic League announced its schedule for the 2026 UIL Football State Championships, which will once again take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The four-day event is scheduled for Dec. 16-19 and will feature all 12 state championship games.
While the championships will remain at one location, several classifications will play in different time slots compared to the format Texas high school football fans have become accustomed to.
The opening day of championship week will remain largely unchanged.
Class 1A Division II will kick off the action Wednesday morning at 11 a.m., followed by the Class 1A Division I championship at 2 p.m.
The first 11-man championship of the week will then take place at 7 p.m., when the Class 2A Division II finalists meet to close out Wednesday's action.
The first major scheduling changes arrive Thursday.
Class 3A Division II will now open the day with an 11 a.m. kickoff. Previously, that opening Thursday slot belonged to Class 2A Division I.
The Class 2A Division I championship will instead move to the middle game Thursday with a 3 p.m. kickoff.
Class 3A Division I will remain in the final Thursday slot, kicking off at 7 p.m.
That gives Thursday a championship lineup of Class 3A Division II at 11 a.m., Class 2A Division I at 3 p.m. and Class 3A Division I at 7 p.m.
Perhaps the biggest change to the championship schedule comes Friday.
All three games that day will feature Division II teams from Classes 4A, 5A and 6A.
Class 5A Division II will begin Friday's action at 11 a.m. Class 4A Division II will follow at 3 p.m., and Class 6A Division II will take over the 7 p.m. primetime slot.
The move marks the first time since the UIL began using the single-site state championship format in 2010 that a Class 6A state championship game will be played on Friday.
Saturday will mirror Friday's format, but with the Division I championships.
Class 5A Division I will begin the final day of the season at 11 a.m., followed by Class 4A Division I at 3 p.m.
The Class 6A Division I state championship will remain in its traditional position as the final game of the Texas high school football season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday night.
The new schedule could also impact when Class 4A Division I teams play during the state semifinals.
With the 4A Division I championship now scheduled for Saturday, teams reaching the semifinal round could potentially play their semifinal games on the previous Saturday. Under the previous championship format, 4A programs generally avoided Saturday semifinal games because their state championship games were typically played Friday.
Full 2026 UIL Football State Championship Schedule
All kickoff times are Central Time.
Wednesday, Dec. 16
11 a.m. — Class 1A Division II
2 p.m. — Class 1A Division I
7 p.m. — Class 2A Division II
Thursday, Dec. 17
11 a.m. — Class 3A Division II
3 p.m. — Class 2A Division I
7 p.m. — Class 3A Division I
Friday, Dec. 18
11 a.m. — Class 5A Division II
3 p.m. — Class 4A Division II
7 p.m. — Class 6A Division II
Saturday, Dec. 19
11 a.m. — Class 5A Division I
3 p.m. — Class 4A Division I
7 p.m. — Class 6A Division I
The changes give the final two days of championship weekend a noticeably different structure. Friday will crown the Division II champions in Classes 4A, 5A and 6A, while Saturday will be reserved for the Division I championships in those classifications.
Despite the modified schedule, one tradition remains intact. The Class 6A Division I championship will once again serve as the finale, with the 2026 Texas high school football season officially coming to an end Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.
