North Carolina High School Football Playoff Brackets Released: First Round November 6, With 48 Teams in Most Classifications
In North Carolina, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association released the 2026 high school football playoff brackets on October 31, moving the statewide season into the postseason.
The regular season wrapped up on Friday, October 30, and teams across the state learned their postseason fate on Saturday, October 31. The first round of the playoffs begins Friday, November 6. In every classification except 1A and 8A, 48 teams earned a playoff spot; the state's largest and smallest classifications use a 24-team bracket, with 12 teams from the East and 12 from the West, and all other rounds are played at the higher seed.
This year's state championships will be held at Kenan Stadium at the University of North Carolina, Helen & Leonard Moretz Stadium at Lenoir-Rhyne University and Barker-Lane Stadium at Campbell University. Wilmington-area media also provided an interactive bracket that readers can filter to follow local teams.
Source: GSM America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Kenan Memorial Stadium航拍（Chapel Hill）。CramBetter.com摄，CC BY 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Aerial view of Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill. Photo by CramBetter.com, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
