MSHSL could add 3 new sports for 2026-27 school year

Originally posted on Bring Me The News | By Joe Nelson | Last updated Apr 7, 2026 5:32 PM ET

The Minnesota State School League is considering becoming the governing body of three new sports: girls' flag football, girls' wrestling, and Esports.

The league's board of directors met on Tuesday to further discuss the three categories, and an official vote is expected to occur at a board meeting in June.

Girls' flag football has exploded in the past two years behind support from the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota High School Girls Flag Football Coaches Advisory. Fifty-one Minnesota schools had a girls' flag football team in 2025, and there are 106 teams registered ahead of the 2026 school year.

If accepted, girls' flag football would be labeled an "emerging" sport, possibly being fully sanctioned by the MSHSL in future years. The same goes for girls' dual wrestling. To date, girls wrestle with boys in league-sanctioned events, though schools are allowed to schedule up to eight girls-only events, while the MSHSL has a girls division in the individual state tournament.

The 2026 flag football seasons gets started later this month.

Sunday, April 26 – Week 1
Sunday, May 3 – Week 2
Sunday, May 10 – Week 3
Sunday, May 17 – Week 4
Sunday, May 31 – Playoffs
Monday, June 8 – State Championship at TCO Stadium in Eagan

There are already roughly 100 schools in Minnesota that participate in Esports over the course of a 10-week season, followed by a regional playoff and then a state championship. Esports is aiming to be accepted into a partnership model, similar to high school robotics and clay target shooting.

"If all three proposed emerging activities continue their current course, the Board of Directors could act toward approval at its final scheduled meeting of the school year on Tuesday,  June 2," the MSHSL said.

Meanwhile, the MSHSL and 45TV agreed to an exclusive broadcast and streaming extension through the 2030-31 school year. That means the state tournaments for football, hockey, and basketball will be streamed and televised on KSTC-TV, Channel 45, for the next five years.

This article first appeared on Bring Me The News and was syndicated with permission.

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