13 varsity teams have forfeited Illinois high school football season

In the 2026 Illinois high school football season, thirteen varsity teams have been forced to forfeit their seasons. These teams, located throughout the state, ended their seasons due to a variety of reasons, such as insufficient roster depth, widespread illness, and more.

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) playoff outlook shows the impact of these forfeits on the playoff chase for Illinois high school football. Any team that had an opponent on their schedule forfeit must choose to either accept the forfeit victory or schedule a replacement opponent, accepting the outcome of that game.

Some of the impacted teams include Clinton from Central Illinois, which played only four of eight scheduled games before canceling; Decatur's Eisenhower team, which had only three games scheduled and never played; Hoopeston's Coop team, which played four games before canceling before Week 5; and Litchfield's Coop team, which scheduled five games but never played any. The full list of affected teams includes Rock Island's Alleman, Sherrard, Watseka, Chicago's Harlan, North Grand, Noble/Golder, Englewood/STEM, and more.