The CIF Southern Section on Saturday morning released the pairings for the 2026 girls soccer playoffs. Santiago and Santa Margarita squared off for the section’s Open Division championship in 2024 and 2025, with each school prevailing once. This year, however, the programs have been matched up in the first round. Santa Margarita and Santiago finished No. 1 and No. 8, respectively, in the section’s final power rankings, good enough for both sides to once again be selected for the Open Division. That division is the only one in the section to use a Champions League-style format in the opening rounds (two matches, aggregate scoring). Santiago hosts the opening leg Thursday, and Santa Margarita will host the return leg Saturday, Feb. 14. Five Inland teams finished high enough in the rankings to participate in the Division 1 playoffs: Chino Hills, Etiwanda, Great Oak, Murrieta Valley and Roosevelt. A total of 64 Inland teams qualified for the playoffs this season, either by earning an automatic berth from their respective leagues or by receiving an at-large entry. Six area teams received a top-four seeding in their respective playoff divisions. Norco is the No. 3-seeded team in the Division 3 bracket, and the Cougars will open at home Thursday against Sage Hill. Riverside Poly is seeded No. 3 in the Division 4 bracket, and the Bears will host Tahquitz in a first-round match. Hemet is seeded third in the Division 6 bracket, and the Bulldogs open at home against Cobalt. Nuview Bridge is the top-seeded team in the Division 7 bracket, and the Knights will host Mary Star in a first-round match. Webb is the No. 2 seed in the Division 8 bracket, and the Gauls open at home against Workman. Indian Springs is seeded fourth in that division, and the Coyotes will host Laguna Blanca in a first-round match. CIF-SS GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFFS Open Division Thursday’s Opening Leg Santa Margarita at Santiago Second Leg (Feb. 14) Santiago at Santa Margarita Division 1 Thursday’s First-Round Matches Great Oak at Aliso Nguel Chino Hills at Orange Lutheran Murrieta Valley at Moorpark Roosevelt at Foothill Bishop Amat at Etiwanda Division 2 Thursday’s First-Round Matches Ayala at Buena Paraclete at Temecula Valley Rancho Cucamonga at Downey Western Christian at St. Genevieve La Habra at Centennial South Torrance at King Alta Loma at El Toro Bonita at Cypress Division 3 Thursday’s First-Round Matches Montclair at Crescenta Valley Paloma Valley at Northwood Sage Hill at Norco Valley View at Flintridge Prep Don Lugo at Citrus Valley Division 4 Thursday’s First-Round Matches Patriot at Windward San Jacinto at Katella Santa Fe at Temescal Canyon Carter at Arcadia Tahquitz at Riverside Poly Redlands at Laguna Hills Granite Hills at Redlands East Valley Linfield Christian at Yucaipa Palm Desert at Chino Arlington at Ontario Christian Division 5 Thursday’s First-Round Matches Ramona at Indio Artesia at Summit Maranatha at Rancho Verde Arrowhead Christian Academy at Grand Terrace San Gorgonio at Kennedy Sultana at Liberty Division 6 Thursday’s First-Round Matches Temecula Prep at Adelanto St. Pius X-St. Matthias at Citrus Hill Alhambra at Norte Vista Fontana at Palmdale Aerospace Academy Perris at Keppel Cobalt at Hemet Arroyo Valley at Woodcrest Christian Thacher at Orange Vista Rim of the World at St. Monica Prep Division 7 Thursday’s First-Round Matches Mary Star at Nuview Bridge Garey at Desert Mirage de Toledo at San Jacinto Leadership Academy Animo Leadership at Jurupa Hills Ganesha at St. Mary’s Academy AGBU-Canoga Prep at Santa Rosa Academy Division 8 Thursday’s First-Round Matches Loma Linda Academy at Milken Community Buckley at Cornerstone Christian Laguna Blanca at Indian Springs Coast Union at Big Bear Redlands Adventist Academy at Bishop Conaty Loretto Edgewood at Miller San Bernardino at Vasquez Workman at Webb Related Articles CIF-SS boys soccer playoffs: First-round schedule for all divisions IE Varsity’s CIF Southern Section girls water polo first-round playoff scoreboard Elsinore girls wrestling team falls short in Division 3 dual-meet championship match Chaparral girls wrestling team beats Santa Fe to win Division 2 dual-meet title Santa Ana girls wrestling team outlasts Corona to claim Division 1 dual-meet crown ...read more read less