The 2026 MIAA high school football state championship games will have a different feel this year.
In a message sent to the media Monday morning, the MIAA announced that this year’s Super Bowl will not be held at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, marking the end of a tradition that has continued since 2007.
“The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association was informed late last week that the use of Gillette Stadium for the MIAA football championships was no longer an option,” the MIAA said in a statement. “We thank the Patriots organization for hosting this event for nearly two decades.
“As the 2026 MIAA Football Tournament begins this week, we will work diligently to secure host sites that provide the best possible championship experience for our student-athletes and school communities.”
The MIAA football state championships could take place the weekend of December 5. The Patriots notably host the Buffalo Bills on December 6. In previous years, championship games were played on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday or Thursday, Friday and Saturday to avoid any conflicts with the Patriots during stadium preparation.
A spokesperson for Gillette Stadium released an official statement saying the decision was made due to circumstances involving events scheduled to take place at the venue this year, including possible home playoff games for the New England Revolution as well as the Patriots.
“For nearly two decades, Gillette Stadium and the Kraft family have been proud to donate the use of Gillette Stadium and host MIAA football state championship games during the first week of December,” the release said. “Due to scheduling constraints and logistics associated with the Revolution’s playoff schedule and the Patriots’ home game on Dec. 6, Gillette Stadium will unfortunately not be able to host the state championship games this year. We wish all schools, student-athletes and their families the best for this year’s games and look forward to hosting this event again in the future.”
It’s unclear where the state title games for all eight football divisions will be held now that Gillette Stadium is no longer an option.
Gillette Stadium was one of several professional venues hosting MIAA events. The state hockey championships are held at TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics, while the state baseball championships are held at Polar Park, home of the Worcester Red Sox. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, hosts several Thanksgiving football games each year.
Many college venues have hosted state championships in recent years, including UMass Lowell (basketball), Worcester State (field hockey, lacrosse, softball), UMass (softball), Babson College (lacrosse). Before 2007, football championships were held at some college venues, including Boston University’s Nickerson Field.
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