FHSAA sets Open Division rules to begin in 2026-27

The Florida High School Athletic Association's board of directors officially have instated a criteria for the brand new Open Division, which will begin in the 2026-27 school year. 

The board unanimously votes to approve moving the top eight ranked teams into a separate Open Division postseason bracket. Football, boys and girls basketball, girls volleyball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, lacrosse and girls flag football are the sports that will participate in the new division. 

MaxPreps rankings will be used to determine the top eight teams, rather than following the FHSAA's rankings, which can be impacted by human element. 

The eight teams will be divided into two brackets with two pools. Pool A will compose seeds 1, 4, 5 and 8 and Pool B will compose seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7. All of the quarterfinal games will be hosted at the lower seeds. 

The Open Division's state championship will occure in Miami.