In 2016 the PIAA underwent a massive reform and realigned football throughout the State of Pennsylvania from four to six classifications. The addition of two more classifications altered the playoff formats and made the WPIAL playoffs much more dependent on where teams entered the State Tournament. Previously, 16 teams had made the playoffs in all four classes from 2000-2015.
In the 2016-17 cycle, there were 8 playoff teams in 6A, 5A, 4A, and 3A. This led to some controversy, especially in 3A where the Champion received a bye the following week and did not enter the state playoffs until the semifinals. During that cycle there were 16 playoff teams in 2A and 1A but those two classes had their Championship Games at Robert Morris University and not at Heinz Field. In the 2018-19 cycle, there was only one conference in 6A so only 6 teams made the playoffs. In 4A, 3A, and 1A there were 8 playoff teams while 5A and 2A had 16 playoff teams. During this cycle, the 6A, 4A, 3A, and 1A Championship Games were held at Heinz Field while 5A and 2A found alternate locations.
Here is a look at the Championship Game History during the six-classification era. For Championship Game History for prior eras of football, links are provided at the bottom of the page.
| Year | Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A | Class 1A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Central Catholic 42,Seneca Valley 7 |
 West Allegheny 38,McKeesport 37 (OT) |
 Thomas Jefferson 42,New Castle 0 |
 Beaver Falls 35,Aliquippa 22 |
 Steel Valley 49,Neshannock 14 |
 Clairton 26,Jeannette 6 |
| 2017 |  Pine-Richland 42,Central Catholic 7 |
 Gateway 21,Penn-Trafford 16 |
Thomas Jefferson 27, Montour 0 |
 Quaker Valley 2,Aliquippa 0 |
 Washington 37,Steel Valley 10 |
 Jeannette 35,Imani Christian 34 |
| 2018 |  Pine-Richland 34,Seneca Valley 7 |
 Penn Hills 28,West Allegheny 18 |
 South Fayette 31,Thomas Jefferson 24 |
 Aliquippa 42,Derry 19 |
Steel Valley 48, South Side Beaver 6 |
 OLSH 28,Rochester 6 |
| 2019 | Central Catholic 10, Pine-Richland 7 |
Gateway 21, Peters Twp 20 |
Thomas Jefferson 41, Belle Vernon 7 |
 Central Valley 13,Aliquippa 12 (OT) |
 Avonworth 28,Washington 6 |
Clairton 41, Sto-Rox 19 |
| 2020 | Central Catholic 38, North Allegheny 24 |
Pine-Richland 35, Peters Twp 0 |
Thomas Jefferson 35, Aliquippa 28 (OT) |
Central Valley 35, Elizabeth Forward 0 |
Beaver Falls 43, Sto-Rox 30 |
Jeannette 45, Clairton 14 |
| 2021 |  Mt. Lebanon 47,Central Catholic 7 |
 Penn-Trafford 24,Moon 21 |
 Aliquippa 28,Belle Vernon 13 |
Central Valley 52, North Catholic 15 |
 Serra Catholic 35,Beaver Falls 12 |
 Bishop Canevin 42,OLSH 7 |
| 2022 |  North Allegheny 35,Central Catholic 21 |
Pine-Richland 34, Upper St Clair 3 |
Aliquippa 34, Central Valley 7 |
 Belle Vernon 24,Avonworth 7 |
 Steel Valley 34,Beaver Falls 14 |
 Union 26,Bishop Canevin 0 |
| 2023 | North Allegheny 44, Central Catholic 41 |
 Peters Twp 43,Pine-Richland 17 |
Aliquippa 35, McKeesport 21 |
Belle Vernon 26, Avonworth 0 |
 Beaver Falls 14, Steel Valley 12 |
 Fort Cherry 42, South Side Beaver 28 |
