Cotton Bowl to host 2026 DeSoto-Duncanville high school football matchup

DeSoto High School football coach Claude Mathis confirmed to WFAA his team will play rival Duncanville at the famed Fair Park venue in Week 3 of the upcoming season.

DALLAS — It's one of the biggest high school football games in Texas each year. And as such, in 2026, the annual matchup between neighboring rival programs DeSoto and Duncanville will be played on an even bigger stage than usual.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, the two powerhouse North Texas programs -- who have won five state titles between them in the last four years across 6A Division I and 6A Division II -- will face off with one another at the iconic Cotton Bowl in Fair Park in a Week 3 matchup, DeSoto High School Athletic Director and head football coach Claude Mathis confirmed to WFAA.

Considering the DeSoto Eagles and Duncanville Panthers football teams have combined to feature more than 30 confirmed NCAA Division 1 FBS recruits in each of their last two matchups (34 in 2024 and 32 in 2025) it's fitting that the 2026 game will be played in one of the most legendary stadiums in college football history.

"What a great opportunity for our kids to play at the Cotton Bowl," Mathis told WFAA when reached by phone on Wednesday.

Mathis credits Dallas-area businessman Ro Parrish -- the second-largest minority franchise owner in the McDonald’s fast food empire -- for helping connect the dots and securing the Cotton Bowl for the game. 

Some of the details, including ticketing information for those interested in attending the game, are still being finalized. But Mathis said the game's 11 a.m. kickoff time has been confirmed.

For Mathis' DeSoto program, which is dropping down to Class 5A in 2026 despite being the reigning Class 6A champion, the Duncanville game stands as just one of three monster out-of-district contests starting their 2026 season.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the Eagles will travel to Florida to face off against the national powerhouse program St. Thomas Aquinas as part of the 2026 Broward County High School Football Showcase. The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders have won 17 state titles in Florida, including the last seven.

DeSoto's third out-of-district game in 2026 will see the Mathis' team taking on another storied Eagles program from North Texas -- the Allen High School Eagles.

"We've always put together a tough schedule at DeSoto," Mathis said. "It lets us know where we are before getting into district play. I always put together tough schedules -- but not like this."

Still, he said he and his team are looking forward to seeing how they'll stack up -- not just against some of the best teams in North Texas, but in the whole country.