Of all the states in the country, Illinois has a unique format for its postseason high school wrestling action.

The Illinois High School Association Wrestling State Finals will feature three events across two action-packed weekends. 

First up, will be the 2026 IHSA Boys Individual Wrestling State Finals, being held Feb. 19-21 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The venue is home to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign basketball and countless other events throughout the year. 

The following week (Feb. 27-28), the boys will be back on the mats for the 2026 IHSA Dual Team State Finals, and they’ll be joined at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, Illinois, by the top female wrestlers in the state for the 2026 IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals. 

Though these tournaments won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling or the FloSports app, each match will appear in the FloWrestling archives minutes after concluding. 

While giving each field of competitors the chance to shine, the three events also have very different histories.

The first individual state meet for boys took place in 1937. The dual event was held for the first time in 1984. Only just recently, in 2022, did the girls get their first opportunity to compete for state titles.

From 1937-1973, there was one classification, and there were two (A, AA) from 1974-2008. Since 2009, the boys side of things, including the dual tournaments, have featured three classifications – 1A (under 600 enrollment), 2A (601-1,200) and 3A (more than 1,200).

So far, the girls have been limited to a single classification. 

To reach the state finals, student-athletes in Illinois must run a gauntlet of competition.

For the boys, the postseason journey began with one-day regional events across 16 locations on Jan. 31. The first-, second and third-place finishers from each regional advanced to the sectional round.

The two-day sectional tournaments, held at four locations, are scheduled for Feb. 13-14.

Once again, the first-, second- and third-place finishers will advance and get the chance to wrestle at the state finals in Champaign. 

The girls schedule is similar, with regional meets taking place Feb. 6 or Feb. 7, and sectionals set for Feb. 13-14.

Three top performers from the regional meets advance to sectionals, and the top four finishers at sectionals, in each weight class, advance to the state finals in Bloomington. 

As the individual drama unfolds for the boys in February, teams also must focus on the Dual Team Tournament Series.

The Feb. 5 sectional qualifiers were held at the home of the teams that scored the most points at the individual regionals, and each included four teams, or semifinalists. The two semifinal winners from each sectional meet qualified for the state event.

In all, 24 teams now will compete at the Dual Team State Finals (eight per classification). 

Whew, that’s a lot of information!

The important thing to remember is that the best of the best from the state of Illinois will get to battle for state titles this month, and every single match will live forever in the FloWrestling archives!

As you get settled in for the new championship season, here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals, including links to the brackets.

What Are The Weight Classes For High School Wrestling In Illinois?

In Pounds

• Boys: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215, 285
• Girls: 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190, 235

2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals Brackets

Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals: 

How To Watch The 2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals

Coverage of the 2026 IHSA Boys Individual Wrestling State Finals, being held Feb. 19-21 in Champaign, Illinois, and the 2026 IHSA Dual Team State Finals/2026 IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals in Bloomington, Illinois, the following weekend, won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, but the matches will be available in the FloWrestling archives minutes after they conclude.

News, notes, stats and more will be available on both platforms.

If you’re going to be in the area and want to catch the action in person, check this page for spectator and ticket information for the boys finals and this page to purchase tickets for the dual/girls finals.

2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals Schedule

Here’s a look at when everything is going down in Illinois:

All Times Central

Thursday, Feb. 19

Session 1

• 8-9 a.m. – Packet pickup in lobby of East Main entrance
• 9 a.m. – Doors open for weigh-ins and skin checks
• 9:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins and skin checks
• 9:45-10 a.m. – Coaches meeting
• 10 a.m. – Table workers meeting
• 10:15 a.m. – Official meeting
• 10:15 a.m. (approx.) – Open mats
• 10:45 a.m. – Close mats
• 11 a.m. – Class 1A Preliminaries 
• 1 p.m. (approx.) – Class 2A Preliminaries
• 3:15 p.m. (approx.) – Class 3A Preliminaries
• 5:30 p.m. (approx.) – Class 1A, 2A, 3A Winner’s Bracket Quarterfinals

Friday, Feb. 20

Session 2

• 6:30 a.m. – Doors open for weigh-ins
• 7:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins
• 8 a.m. – Doors open to the public
• 9 a.m. – Round 1 Wrestlebacks (1A, 2A, 3A)
• 1 p.m. (approx.) – Round 2 Wrestlebacks (1A, 2A, 3A)
• 4:30 p.m. – Clear State Farm Center

Session 3

• 6 p.m. – Doors open to the public
• 7 p.m. – Championship Semifinals (1A, 2A, 3A)

Saturday, Feb. 21

Session 4

• 6:30 a.m. – Doors open for weigh-ins
• 7:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins
• 8 a.m. – Doors open to the public
• 9 a.m. – Quarterfinal Wrestlebacks (1A, 2A, 3A)
• 11 a.m. – Semifinal Wrestlebacks (1A, 2A, 3A)
• 1 p.m. – Third-, Fourth-, Fifth-, Sixth-Place Matches (1A, 2A, 3A)
• 3:30 p.m. – Clear State Farm Center

Session 5

• 4:30 p.m. – Doors open to the public
• 5 p.m. – Grand March line-up
• 5:30 p.m. – Grand March
• 6 p.m. – Championship Matches (1A, 2A, 3A) (three mats)

Friday, Feb. 27

Girls Individual Tournament (Six Mats)

• 7:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins
• 8:15 a.m. – Coaches meeting
• 9 a.m. – Round 1
• 11 a.m. – Quarterfinals and Round 1 Wrestlebacks
• 1:30 p.m. – Round 2 Wrestlebacks

Dual Team Tournament (Six Mats)

• 3:30 p.m. – Weigh-ins
• 4:15 p.m. – Coaches meeting
• 5 p.m. – Top Bracket Quarterfinals
• 7 p.m. – Bottom Bracket Quarterfinals 

Saturday, Feb. 28

• 7:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins for all wrestlers

Girls Individual Tournament (Three Mats)

• 9 a.m. – Championship Semifinals & Round 3 Wrestlebacks
• 11:30 a.m. – Consolation Semifinals 
• 12:15 p.m. – Placement Matches
• 1:45 p.m. – Grand March
• 2 p.m. – Championship Matches (one mat)

Dual Team Tournament (Three Mats)

• 9 a.m. – Top Bracket Semifinals 
• 11 a.m. – Bottom Bracket Semifinals
• 6 p.m. – Championship & Third-Place Duals (three mats)

What Teams Won At The 2025 IHSA Wrestling State Finals?

Here are the 2025 team state champions in Illinois:

Boys

• Class 1A – Coal City
• Class 2A – Elmhurst (IC Catholic)
• Class 3A – Aurora (Marmion Academy)
• Duals – Aurora (Marmion Academy) def. Rockton (Hononegah), 42-31

*Illinois only crowns individual champions in girls wrestling. 

Read more: 2025 IHSA Illinois Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets | 2025 IHSA Girls Individual State Finals 

Did You Know: There Are Layers To The History Of Illinois HS Wrestling

The three segments of high school wrestling in Illinois – boys, boys duals and girls – began wrestling for state titles in 1937, 1984 and 2022, respectively. 

In the long history of boys high school wrestling in Illinois, only 16 boys have won four individual state titles. The latest was Seth Mendoza of Chicago Mt. Carmel, who won titles from 2022-2025 at 106, 113, 126 and 138 pounds.

For the girls, one athlete has won a state championship each year. Angelina Cassioppi from Rockton (Hononegah) won her first title in 2022 at 100 pounds and followed that with three victories at 120 pounds. 

The pool of 14 winners at the 2025 Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals featured seven undefeated champions (five were repeat winners) and three others who only lost once all season. 

Seven of the winners were the first girls wrestling champions for their schools. Five participants, including Cassioppi, became four-time medalists

2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings

Top 20 as of Jan. 12, 2026

Curious about how the top wrestlers from each state stack up against competitors from across the country?

Click here to see the latest high school rankings from FloWrestling.

You’ve Never Seen A High School Wrestling Dual Like This | Episode 2

Bo Bassett, Jax Forrest, Melvin Miller and Jude Correa are all ranked No. 1 in the country. What happens when you throw them all into one dual? 

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling officially has merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform. 

Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.

This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.

FloWrestling Archived Footage

Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Join The State Wrestling Conversation On Social

Even a walking boot couldn’t keep Divine Ugochukwu from dancing in the Spartans’ locker room following Saturday’s win over Illinois.

When you beat a top five team in the country, there’s going to be dancing in the locker room. That was the case for the Spartans on Saturday night.

Michigan State rallied in the second half to beat No. 5 Illinois in overtime in a thrilling game on Saturday. The Spartans trailed most of the game, but took the lead late and eventually pulled away in overtime for the notable victory.

Following the game, there was plenty of celebrating from the fans and alumni that support the Spartans. And it also was occurring within the Michigan State locker room with the players.