The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) will host the 2026 Boys’ and Girls’ Maryland High School State Basketball Championships on the campus of UMBC at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, March 12, 13, and 14th.
The MPSSAA’s return to the campus of UMBC marks the first time hosting the a basketball championship since the girls last hosted their basketball title games in 2013 at the Retrievers Activities Center. Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena opened in 2018 and is home to the UMBC men’s and women’s basketball teams. The arena seats over 4,600 spectators for basketball games.
The MPSSAA annually hosts four boys’ state championship games and four girls’ state championship games based on school enrollments, with Class 1A reflecting the smaller enrolled schools and Class 4A reflecting the larger enrolled schools. Each of the MPSSAA classifications operates a 64-line single elimination bracket culminating with the state title game.
The MPSSAA will publish a full schedule of the championships, including when each classification will play their state championship game on March 12-14 after the state quarterfinal round on March 7, 2026. For more information on the MPSSAA state basketball championships, please visit www.mpssaa.org.
The MPSSAA membership is comprised of 200 high schools from Maryland's 24 local educational agencies, supporting over 120,000 annual participants in 26 state championship sports.
Please visit Basketball State Championship Central for more information on the upcoming championships.