National High School Cheerleading Championship

DI Championship: January 30-February 2, 2026

DII Championship: February 6-8, 2026

Game Day Division

• Remove Cheer and only have the Situational Sideline
  • Situational Sideline follows the announcer’s cues and the team reacts to a true game day situation.
  • Cheer teams should be able to encourage a response from the crowd to yell with them using a simple repetitive sideline.
  • Situational sidelines would mimic the chants that cheer teams do on field/court/etc when team they are cheering for is close to scoring or needs a big defensive stop.
    • Examples: Touchdown Tigers Touchdown xx (repeated); Hold ‘em Defense Hold ‘em xx (repeated)

Performance Division

• In 2025 the cheer will move to the beginning of the performance
• Crowd Leading Chant length 30-45 seconds
• The Crowd Leading Chant should be designed for crowd engagement with repetitive words that a crowd can easily follow and engage with. The chant can contain several parts that encourage crowd engagement but does not have directional style verses that are used in cheers.
• Demonstrating school pride is encouraged. The chant is a place to use words that identify the school’s name, letters, colors, mascot, and traditions.
• Crowd Leading encourages the use of signs, poms, flags, megaphones and practical use of stunts/pyramids to lead the crowd.

For more specific event information, please view the NSSC DI and DII pages below

• DI
• DII

Since 1980, The National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC) stands as a cornerstone of cheerleading history and tradition. For decades, it has been the ultimate proving ground where the best teams from across the country gather to showcase their skills, spirit, and dedication. NHSCC’s legacy is built not only on the level of talent it attracts but also on its reputation for shaping the sport itself—setting standards of excellence, innovation, and performance that influence cheer programs nationwide. Generations of athletes, coaches, and fans regard NHSCC as the moment where tradition meets greatness, cementing its place as the crown jewel of high school cheerleading.

From its electrifying atmosphere to its world-class production, NHSCC provides the kind of stage every cheerleader dreams of performing on. It is broadcast on EPSN post event to a global audience, giving athletes unparalleled exposure and recognition for their hard work. The competition brings together the most elite teams in the nation, ensuring that every performance is met with fierce competition and energy. NHSCC isn’t just a competition—it’s an unforgettable experience that combines passion, and precision, making it the ultimate stage to celebrate the athleticism of cheer.

What sets NHSCC apart is the preparation and performance opportunities it provides both before and during the championship. Teams spend months practicing every motion, stunt, and transition to meet the prestigious standards of the event, instilling discipline and teamwork that extend far beyond the mat. Once at NHSCC, athletes perform on a world-class stage with professional-level production, lighting, and judging, creating a once-in-a-lifetime environment that pushes them to their peak. The experience refines their skills, elevates their confidence, and gives them memories that last forever. It’s more than just competition—it’s preparation for excellence in every sense.

The Spirit Program Game Day Division emphasizes the collaboration and cohesion of your school’s spirit programs, cheer, dance and band, in an exciting new Game Day format that fosters school pride, emphasizes your school’s traditions in an entertaining and crowd effective performance. Teams will showcase The Sights & Sounds of their unique game day traditions while emphasizing the unification of their spirit program.

• Fight Song
  • The section should reflect your school’s traditional Fight Song that your team performs at games, pep rallies, etc. Teams should incorporate crowd effective elements and choreography that enhances the overall effect.
  • For teams that do not have an official Fight Song, it is recommended to use a second selection of band chant music. Music guidelines are available at varsity.com/music. (update for cheer too)
• Crowd Leading (Sideline or Chant)
  • This section should showcase any home/traditional sideline with words that are repetitive, easy to follow along that incite crowd engagement and involvement. The crowd leading portion should be easy for the crowd to follow along and engage.
  • Examples:
    • Defense XX, Defense XX…
    • L-I-O-N-S, Let’s Go Lions, L-I-O-N-S, Let’s Go Lions
    • Blue X Gold, Let’s Go Lions
  • The pep band should provide a cadence that the cheer/dance team and crowd back home could easily yell along with, eliciting crowd interaction.
• Timeout/Tradition
  • The timeout/tradition should reflect a similar crowd interactive and entertaining performance that your team performs during halftimes, extended timeouts or pep rallies. This is the best time to showcase spirit program cohesiveness and unison while demonstrating energy, leadership, visual appeal and connection to the crowd.

Divisions

• Two of the three groups must combine to compete in the school spirit game day division
• Overall minimum of 10 athletes/performers
• Maximum of 90 athletes/performers allowed to represent the entire spirit program

• Any combination of a Spirit Program (Cheer, Dance, Band and Mascot/s)
  • No Matter the combination of athletes on the floor teams will be in the same division and scored on the same score sheet.
• Once a division exceeds 10+ teams, divisions will split.
  • In the Spirit Program Game Day divisions will be split geographically
    • Starting with East and West
    • Then moving into SE, NE, Central, SW, W

CLICK HERE to view 2026 Championship Divisions, Rules and Scoring Information.