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The road to the Tennessee high school football state championships begins Friday, Nov. 6, as teams across the state open the 2026 postseason with their sights set on Chattanooga.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has released its official playoff brackets for all nine classifications, setting the stage for four weeks of elimination football before the BlueCross Bowl state championships at Finley Stadium.
The championship games are scheduled for Dec. 3-5, when Tennessee will crown six Division I champions and three Division II champions.
Some of the state's most successful programs are back in the postseason, including Maryville, Oakland, Alcoa, South Pittsburg, Baylor, McCallie and Brentwood Academy.
There are also plenty of challengers hoping to make their own championship runs, including undefeated Baylor in Division II-AAA and several teams that dominated their regions during the regular season.
Division I features six classifications, ranging from Class 1A through Class 6A. Division II, which includes private schools competing in the TSSAA's separate championship structure, features Classes A, AA and AAA.
First-round games begin Friday night, with most scheduled for 7 p.m. local time. The postseason continues throughout November before the championship games in Chattanooga.
Here is a classification-by-classification guide to the official 2026 Tennessee high school football playoff brackets, including notable opening-round matchups and direct links to each tournament.
Class 6A features many of Tennessee's largest schools and several programs with extensive championship histories.
Maryville begins its postseason against Jefferson County, while Oakland travels to Lebanon in one of the opening round's more intriguing matchups.
Dobyns-Bennett hosts Oak Ridge, bringing together two of East Tennessee's most recognizable football programs.
Other notable matchups include Riverdale against Cookeville, Ravenwood against Cane Ridge and Houston against Germantown.
The classification also features Brentwood, Collierville, Science Hill, Whitehaven and several other programs capable of making deep postseason runs.
The Class 6A tournament concludes with the state championship game Saturday, Dec. 5, at Finley Stadium.
Class 5A features several of Tennessee's strongest programs, including Sevier County, Powell, Page, Beech and Knoxville Central.
Sevier County opens against West, while Powell hosts Morristown West.
Page begins its postseason against Portland, and Beech faces Hillsboro.
Other notable matchups include Nolensville against Hendersonville and Munford against Dickson County.
The classification features several teams with impressive regular-season records, including Page, Powell, Beech, Kirkwood and Munford.
The Class 5A state championship is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4.
Class 4A includes several established championship contenders, led by Alcoa, Greeneville and Anderson County.
Alcoa opens its postseason against Cherokee, while Greeneville hosts Fulton.
Anderson County travels to Seymour, and Elizabethton faces Gibbs.
Macon County begins its playoff run against East Ridge, while Pearl-Cohn hosts Montgomery Central.
The bracket also includes Marshall County, Haywood, Red Bank and Springfield.
The Class 4A state championship is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5.
Class 3A features a competitive field that includes Westview, Dyersburg, Fairview, Unicoi County and several other regional contenders.
Unicoi County opens against McMinn Central, while Dyersburg hosts Raleigh-Egypt.
Westview begins its postseason against Wooddale, and Fairview faces Stratford.
Other notable matchups include Meigs County against Chuckey-Doak, Tyner Academy against Watertown and Melrose against Covington.
Giles County and Forrest received opening-round byes in their portions of the bracket.
The Class 3A championship is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4.
Class 2A features several familiar postseason contenders, including Marion County, Huntingdon, Gordonsville and East Nashville.
Marion County begins its playoff run against Trousdale County, while Huntingdon hosts Memphis Business Academy.
Gordonsville faces Grundy County, and East Nashville opens against Mount Pleasant.
Other notable matchups include Bledsoe County against Jackson County, Milan against Mitchell and Fairley against Union City.
The Class 2A state championship is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5.
Class 1A includes several programs with rich championship traditions, including South Pittsburg, McKenzie, Coalfield and Fayetteville.
South Pittsburg opens its postseason against Red Boiling Springs, while McKenzie hosts Huntland.
Coalfield begins against Hampton, and Fayetteville faces Wayne County.
Cornersville, which completed an undefeated regular season, hosts McEwen.
Other notable matchups include Cosby against Midway, Greenback against Cloudland and South Fulton against Oakhaven.
The Class 1A state championship is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4.
Division II-AAA features several of Tennessee's most prominent private-school football programs, including Baylor, Brentwood Academy, McCallie, Montgomery Bell Academy and Memphis University School.
Baylor enters the postseason undefeated at 10-0 and received a first-round bye.
Brentwood Academy, Briarcrest Christian, Lipscomb Academy and Ensworth also received opening-round byes.
The first round features Memphis University School against Montgomery Bell Academy, Christ Presbyterian Academy against Christian Brothers and Father Ryan against McCallie.
The Division II-AAA tournament is one of the most competitive championship races in Tennessee, with several programs accustomed to playing deep into November.
Baylor, Briarcrest Christian, Lipscomb Academy, Ensworth and Brentwood Academy received first-round byes.
The Division II-AAA state championship is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3.
Division II-AA features Battle Ground Academy, Christian Academy of Knoxville, Franklin Road Academy, Goodpasture Christian and several other contenders.
Battle Ground Academy opens against Knoxville Webb, while Christian Academy of Knoxville hosts Pope John Paul II.
Franklin Road Academy faces Boyd Buchanan, and Goodpasture takes on Lakeway Christian.
Other first-round games include Lausanne against Davidson Academy and Knoxville Grace Christian against Northpoint Christian.
The Division II-AA championship is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3.
Division II-A features Nashville Christian, Middle Tennessee Christian, University School of Jackson and several other programs hoping to reach Chattanooga.
Nashville Christian, Middle Tennessee Christian and University School of Jackson received first-round byes.
Trinity Christian opens against Providence Academy, while Jackson Christian faces Ezell-Harding.
Other opening-round games include Providence Christian against Donelson Christian, Concord Christian against Fayette Academy and Friendship Christian against Franklin Christian.
Nashville Christian, Middle Tennessee Christian and University School of Jackson received first-round byes.
The Division II-A state championship is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3.
The Southeast Education and Exhibition Conference (SEEC) football tournament is a separate postseason competition from the nine TSSAA championship classifications.
Its championship matchup is already set, with Freedom Cowboys facing South Haven Christian on Friday, Nov. 6.
Freedom Cowboys advanced with a 58-43 semifinal victory over Tennessee Heat, while South Haven Christian defeated Christian Community 62-32.
South Haven Christian enters the championship game undefeated, while Freedom Cowboys is looking to complete its postseason run with a title.
The TSSAA BlueCross Bowl state championships are scheduled for Dec. 3-5 at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.
The three Division II championships are scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3.
The Division I Class 1A, 3A and 5A championship games follow Friday, Dec. 4.
The Division I Class 2A, 4A and 6A championship games conclude the postseason Saturday, Dec. 5.
All nine TSSAA championship games will be played at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.
The venue will host three days of championship football, bringing together teams from across Tennessee to determine the state's 2026 champions.
The first round of the TSSAA playoffs begins Friday, Nov. 6, with teams across the state competing for the opportunity to advance.
The second round follows Nov. 13, with additional elimination games scheduled Nov. 20 and the state semifinals Nov. 27.
The postseason concludes Dec. 3-5, when nine TSSAA state champions will be crowned in Chattanooga.
High School On SI will continue updating the official Tennessee high school football playoff brackets with final scores, upcoming matchups and championship information throughout November and December.
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