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Where to watch Illinois high school cheerleading championship: Schedule, channel, live stream for IHSA cheer event
Where to watch Illinois high school cheerleading championship: Schedule, channel, live stream for IHSA cheer event originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
With the state’s annual dance competition behind us, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) will now host its 2026 cheerleading championship this weekend.
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With two days chock-full of performances on the docket, nearly 100 squads will flaunt their best routines across 1A, 2A, 3A and co-ed classes. Only a handful of the most dominant teams will leave Bloomington with state title hardware.
As per usual, preliminary rounds will take place on Friday and finals on Saturday, marking the end of the competitive cheerleading season. Be sure to tune in and cheer on your favorite teams.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 Illinois high school cheerleading championship, including TV channel and streaming options for the annual event.
Where to watch Illinois high school cheerleading championship: TV channel, live stream
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Illinois’ high school competitive cheerleading championship will not be broadcast on a TV channel. You can stream both days of the event live on NFHS Network.
The NFHS Network offers two basic plans: an Annual Pass ($6.67 per month) or a Monthly Pass ($13.99 per month). These plans give subscribers the ability to watch live sporting events and create clips of their favorite moments from games.
When is the Illinois high school cheerleading championship?
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Date: Friday, Feb. 6 – Saturday, Feb. 7
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Time: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., 11 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. CT
Illinois’ high school competitive dance championship will take place Friday, Feb. 6 and Saturday, Feb. 7. Friday’s docket will take place from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., while Saturday’s will only be from 11 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. CT. The competition will be held at Grossinger Arena in Bloomington.
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Illinois high school cheerleading championship schedule 2026
The 2026 IHSA cheerleading championship will be split into three sessions. All classifications (1A, 2A, 3A) will compete in preliminary rounds on Friday, and then team finals on Saturday.
Friday, Feb. 6
Session 1 — 1A and 2A Preliminaries
|
Time (CT) |
Event |
|
8:55 a.m. |
Welcome & National Anthem |
|
9 a.m. |
First performance (1A and 2A alternate performances) |
|
1:10 p.m. |
Last performance |
|
1:15 p.m. |
Announcement of 1A Division Finalists |
|
1:30 p.m. |
Announcement of 2A Division Finalists |
Session 2 — 3A and Co-ed Preliminaries
|
Time (CT) |
Event |
|
3:25 p.m. |
Announcements & National Anthem |
|
3:30 p.m. |
First performance (3A and Co-ed alternate performances) |
|
7:40 p.m. |
Last performance |
|
ISU Game Day Exhibition |
|
|
7:45 p.m. |
Announcement of 3A Division Finalists |
|
8 p.m. |
Announcement of Co-ed Division Finalists |
Saturday, Feb. 7
Session 3 — 1A, 2A, 3A and Co-ed Team Finals
|
Time (CT) |
Event |
|
10:55 a.m. |
Announcements & National Anthem |
|
11 a.m. |
Team finals (1A and 2A alternate performances) |
|
12:45 p.m. |
1A Team awards |
|
1:15 p.m. |
2A Team awards |
|
2:30 p.m. |
ParaCheer Midwest – Special Olympics Cheer |
|
2:55 p.m. |
Welcome & National Anthem |
|
3 p.m. |
Team finals (3A and Co-ed alternate performances) |
|
4:45 p.m. |
3A Team awards |
|
5:15 p.m. |
Co-ed Team awards |