Ohio's high school soccer state championships are packing up and moving across Columbus again, with the Ohio High School Athletic Association confirming that all 10 title games for 2026 will be played at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, the current home of the Columbus Crew. The switch ends a three-year run at Historic Crew Stadium and comes down to one practical issue: the turf at the older venue needs work.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, OHSAA is bringing the finals back to ScottsMiracle-Gro Field “for the first time since 2022,” with the games moving downtown to the Crew's current stadium because of turf maintenance at the older facility. The governing body said the change is meant to preserve the pitch conditions and the overall player and fan experience organizers want for the 2026 competition, per the same report.
This isn't new territory for either venue. ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, then known as Lower.com Field, hosted the state finals in 2021 and 2022 before the championships shifted back to Historic Crew Stadium in 2023, the Dispatch's report notes. Historic Crew Stadium had been the sport's longtime home, hosting the finals every year since it opened in 1999, a run that ColumbusCrew.com confirms stretched from 1999 through 2020 before the first move to the newer stadium.
Ten Championships, Four Days
The 2026 slate includes five girls games and five boys games spread across Nov. 13-16, according to the Springfield News-Sun. Girls finals are set for Nov. 13 and 14, while the boys championships follow on Nov. 15 and 16, per the same reporting. The Division IV and Division V girls finals open the weekend on Nov. 13, with the Division I, III and II girls title games following on Nov. 14, and the boys finals in Division IV, V, I, III and II rounding out the schedule Nov. 15 and 16.
The move marks a return to a venue OHSAA has turned to before in moments of need. Back in 2021, Lower.com Field hosted that year's soccer state championships. ScottsMiracle-Gro Field has also drawn other soccer tournaments recently — the Mid-American Conference announced its own move, shifting the 2026 MAC Women's Soccer Championship to the same stadium.
Local Teams Jockeying for Position
With district tournament draws set for Oct. 11, several Miami Valley and southwest Ohio programs enter the postseason with strong rankings. Legacy Christian sits at No. 1 in both boys and girls Division V, each with unbeaten 14-0-0 records, while Troy Christian checks in at No. 8 in boys Division V at 8-2-4.
On the girls side, Ross is unbeaten at 13-0-0 and ranked No. 1 in Division III, with Badin at No. 18 in the same division at 7-7-0. Alter sits at No. 4 in girls Division IV at 10-3-0, and Fenwick is No. 22 at 9-4-1. Lakota West and Centerville both appear in girls Division I, while Troy and Piqua round out girls Division II at No. 28 and No. 39. Greeneview also appears in girls Division V.
The boys rankings carry a similarly deep Miami Valley presence. Carroll leads Division III at No. 1 with a 3-0-1 record, with Badin close behind at No. 9 (11-2-1). Oakwood tops Division IV locally at No. 6 (11-2-0), with Miami East at No. 26 (8-2-2). Beavercreek and Centerville both appear in boys Division I, while Troy and Northmont appear in boys Division II.
