How to Watch Every 2026 UIL Football State Championship Game for Free

The road to AT&T Stadium will end with free football for fans everywhere.

The UIL has entered into a new broadcasting agreement with Nexstar Media Group and Mission Broadcasting, making all 12 UIL Texas high school football state championship games available to watch for free through participating television stations and streaming platforms across the state, according to a press release Thursday.

Under the agreement, the 12 state championship games will be available on local broadcast television, streaming platforms or both, depending on the market. Fans will also be able to stream the games through participating stations’ digital platforms regardless of their location.

“High school football is part of the fabric of Texas, and few events bring communities together like the UIL State Football Championships,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said in a press release. “Nexstar and Mission have a strong local presence across Texas, and we are excited to use the combined reach of our television stations and digital platforms to give fans more ways to watch these student-athletes compete for a state championship. This is exactly the kind of local sports programming our stations are uniquely positioned to deliver.”

The move comes after the abrupt collapse of Victory+, the streaming platform that carried the UIL Football State Championships in 2025. Victory+ ceased operations in September amid reports of missed payments to its broadcast partners, leaving the UIL in need of a new home for its championship broadcasts.

“The UIL State Football Championships are an important tradition for high schools and communities throughout Texas,” UIL Executive Director Dr. Jamey Harrison said. “We are excited to work with Nexstar Media and Mission Broadcasting to expand access to these championship games and we are pleased that fans will be able to watch them through streaming and local television broadcasts across Texas.”

The 2026 UIL Football State Championships will feature 12 games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington from Wednesday, December 16 through Saturday, December 19.

It will be the first year with a shuffled schedule, most notably with Friday featuring the Division II contests in the three largest classifications (6A, 5A and 4A) and Saturday featuring the Division I games.

Specific television broadcast schedules and streaming information for each market will be announced at a later date.

2026 UIL Football State Championship Schedule

Wednesday, December 16
11 a.m. — Class 1A Division II
2 p.m. — Class 1A Division I
7 p.m. — Class 2A Division II

Thursday, December 17
11 a.m. — Class 3A Division II
3 p.m. — Class 2A Division I
7 p.m. — Class 3A Division I

Friday, December 18
11 a.m. — Class 5A Division II
3 p.m. — Class 4A Division II
7 p.m. — Class 6A Division II

Saturday, December 19
11 a.m. — Class 5A Division I
3 p.m. — Class 4A Division I
7 p.m. — Class 6A Division I