The wait is over.
Week 1 of the 2026 North Carolina high school football season is here with games kicking off on Aug. 21.
Here is the North Carolina High School Athletic Association and North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association schedule for the opening week.
A.L. Brown at Porter Ridge 7 p.m.
ALA-Johnston at Lejeune 7 p.m.
Alexander Central at Newton-Conover 7:30 p.m.
Apex at Cary 7 p.m.
Asheville High at East Rutherford 7:30 p.m.
Asheville School at Corvian Community 7 p.m.
Ashley at Sanderson 7 p.m.
Athens Drive at Green Level 7 p.m.
Atkins at Walkertown 7 p.m.
Bandys at St. Stephens 7:30 p.m.
Bartlett Yancey at Northern Durham 7 p.m.
Bear Grass Charter
at Wayne Christian School 7 p.m.
Ben L. Smith at South Caldwell 7:30 p.m.
Bertie at Northeastern 7 p.m.
Brevard at Reynolds 7:30 p.m.
Broughton at Apex Friendship 7 p.m.
Bunker Hill at Draughn 7:30 p.m.
Bunn at South Granville 7 p.m.
Butler at Olympic 7 p.m.
C.B. Aycock at Rosewood 7 p.m.
Carrboro at Jordan-Matthews 7 p.m.
Carver at Parkland 7 p.m.
Chapel Hill at Seaforth 7 p.m.
Cherokee at North Buncombe 7 p.m.
Christ the King at Metrolina Christian 7 p.m.
College Prep & Leadership Academy at Albemarle 7 p.m.
Concord at Mount Pleasant 7 p.m.
Cummings at Williams 7 p.m.
Cuthbertson at Ardrey Kell 7 p.m.
D.H. Conley at Laney 7 p.m.
Dixon at Topsail 7 p.m.
Douglas Byrd at Cape Fear 7 p.m.
East Burke at West Iredell 7 p.m.
East Carteret at Croatan 7 p.m.
East Chapel Hill at Cedar Ridge 7 p.m.
East Davidson at Southwestern Randolph 7:30 p.m.
East Forsyth at Glenn 7 p.m.
East Gaston at North Gaston 7 p.m.
East Henderson at Hendersonville 7:30 p.m.
East Lincoln at South Iredell 7 p.m.
East Rowan at Wheatmore 7 p.m.
East Surry at Statesville 7 p.m.
Eastern Alamance at Eastern Guilford 7:30 p.m.
Eastern Wayne at Goldsboro 7 p.m.
Elkin at Surry Central 7 p.m.
Enloe at Southeast Raleigh 7 p.m.
Fairmont at Lumberton 7 p.m.
Father Capodanno at Sandhills Classical Christian 5 p.m.
Felton Grove at Green Hope 7 p.m.
Fike at North Moore 7 p.m.
First Flight at Perquimans 7 p.m.
Forbush at Bishop McGuinness 7:30 p.m.
Forest Hills at Salisbury 7 p.m.
Franklin at Murphy 7:30 p.m.
Freedom at Patton 7:30 p.m.
Garinger at Winston-Salem Prep 7 p.m.
Gray's Creek at Pine Forest 7:30 p.m.
Greene Central at North Lenoir 7 p.m.
Harnett Central at Northwood 7 p.m.
Harrells Christian Academy at Arendell Parrott Academy 7 p.m.
Havelock at West Craven 7 p.m.
Heritage at Wakefield 7 p.m.
Hertford County at Gates County 7 p.m.
Hibriten at East Wilkes 7:30 p.m.
Highland Tech at Langtree Charter 7 p.m.
Hillside at E.E. Smith 7 p.m.
Hobbton at Midway 7 p.m.
Hoke County at Monroe 7 p.m.
Holly Springs at Panther Creek 7 p.m.
Hopewell at East Mecklenburg 7 p.m.
Hunt at Lee County 7 p.m.
Jack Britt at South View 7 p.m.
Jacksonville at West Carteret 7 p.m.
Jordan at Leesville Road 7 p.m.
Kings Mountain at Shelby 7:30 p.m.
Lakewood at Clinton 7 p.m.
Ledford at Oak Grove 7 p.m.
Lexington at West Davidson 7 p.m.
Lincolnton at Maiden 7:30 p.m.
Madison at Andrews 7:30 p.m.
Manteo at Washington County 7 p.m.
Marvin Ridge at Cox Mill 7 p.m.
Mattamuskeet at Pungo Christian Academy 5 p.m.
McDowell at R-S Central 7:30 p.m.
Middle Creek at Fuquay-Varina 7:30 p.m.
Mitchell at Charlotte Latin 7:30 p.m.
Montgomery Central at Central Cabarrus 7 p.m.
Morehead at Northeast Guilford 7:30 p.m.
Mount Airy at Starmount 7 p.m.
Mountain Heritage at Pisgah 7:30 p.m.
Mountain Island Charter at Lincoln Charter 7 p.m.
New Hanover at New Bern 7 p.m.
North Brunswick at Corinth Holders 7 p.m.
North Davidson at West Stokes 7:30 p.m.
North East Carolina Prep at North Wake Saints 7 p.m.
North Henderson at Enka 7 p.m.
North Iredell at Wilkes Central 7:30 p.m.
North Johnston at Beddingfield 7 p.m.
North Lincoln at West Lincoln 7:30 p.m.
North Pitt at Martin County 7 p.m.
North Rowan at West Rowan 7 p.m.
North Stanly at Community School of Davidson 7 p.m.
North Stokes at Cherryville 7:30 p.m.
North Surry at Alleghany 7:30 p.m.
North Wilkes at South Stokes 7 p.m.
Northampton County at Roanoke Rapids 7:30 p.m.
Northern Nash at J.H. Rose 7 p.m.
Northside-Jacksonville at White Oak 7 p.m.
Northside-Pinetown at Camden County 7 p.m.
Northwest Cabarrus at West Cabarrus 7 p.m.
Northwest Guilford at Western Alamance 7 p.m.
Orange at Southeast Alamance 7 p.m.
Owen at Rosman 7:30 p.m.
Palisades at Ashbrook 7 p.m.
Pamlico County at KIPP Pride 7 p.m.
Parkwood at Piedmont 7 p.m.
Pasquotank at Holmes 7 p.m.
Person at Franklinton 7 p.m.
Pine Lake Prep at Bessemer City 7:30 p.m.
Polk County at CHASE 8 p.m.
Princeton at Ayden-Grifton 7 p.m.
Providence at Hickory Ridge 7 p.m.
Purnell Swett at St. Pauls 7 p.m.
R.J. Reynolds at North Forsyth 7 p.m.
Randleman at Providence Grove 7:30 p.m.
Red Springs at Anson 7 p.m.
Robbinsville at Tuscola 7:30 p.m.
Rocky Mount at Tarboro 7 p.m.
Rocky Mount Prep at St. David's 7 p.m.
Rocky River at North Mecklenburg 7 p.m.
Scotland at Asheboro 7:30 p.m.
Smithfield-Selma at South Johnston 7 p.m.
Smoky Mountain at Swain County 7:30 p.m.
Spartanburg Christian Academy at Asheville Christian Academy 7:30 p.m.
South Central at Kinston 7 p.m.
South Davidson at Trinity 7 p.m.
South Garner at West Johnston 7 p.m.
South Lenoir at Jones 7 p.m.
South Mecklenburg at Charlotte Catholic 7 p.m.
South Point at Hickory 7:30 p.m.
South Rowan at Union Academy 7 p.m.
SouthWest Edgecombe at Nash Central 7 p.m.
Southern Alamance at Eastern Randolph 7:30 p.m.
Southern Durham at Wake Forest 7 p.m.
Southern Guilford at Ragsdale 7 p.m.
Southern Lee at Overhills 7 p.m.
Southern Nash at Knightdale 7 p.m.
Southern Wayne at James Kenan 7 p.m.
Southside at North Duplin 7 p.m.
Southwest Guilford at Rockingham County 7 p.m.
Southwest Onslow at Richlands 7 p.m.
Stuart Cramer at Forestview 7:30 p.m.
Swansboro at South Columbus 7 p.m.
Roberson at Hunter Huss 7 p.m.
T.W. Andrews at Thomasville 7 p.m.
Terry Sanford at Seventy-First 7 p.m.
Trask at East Bladen 7 p.m.
Vance County at Warren County 7 p.m.
Wake Christian at Community Christian School 7 p.m.
Wallace-Rose Hill at East Duplin 7 p.m.
Washington at Farmville Central 7 p.m.
Watauga at Ashe County 7:30 p.m.
Wayne Preparatory Academy at Triangle Math & Science 7 p.m.
West Bladen at Pender 7 p.m.
West Brunswick at South Brunswick 7 p.m.
West Columbus at Whiteville 7 p.m.
West Henderson at Erwin 7 p.m.
West Stanly at South Stanly 7 p.m.
West Wilkes at Fred T. Foard 7:30 p.m.
Western Guilford at Southeast Guilford 7:30 p.m.
Western Harnett at J.F. Webb 7 p.m.
Westover at Union Pines 7:30 p.m.
Willow Spring at Triton 7 p.m.
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: North Carolina high school football schedule Week 1, including every WNC game
