2026 Predictions

**The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools**

2025 was an eventful year both in Vestavia and around the world. At VHHS, notable events include the school shutting down due to busted pipes and the new FOCUS Act banning cell phones at school. In global news, a new pope was chosen, and Katy Perry supposedly went to space.

Looking forward to 2026, sports are likely to be exciting as usual. While the US normally wins the summer Olympics, Norway usually comes out on top in the winter, so it will be interesting to see if the US can make a surprising comeback in the winter Olympics in February. VHHS football should make a good playoff run next year, as many 2025 starters were juniors. Many VHHS students I have spoken to predict that Ohio State or Georgia will win the National Championship, and since both teams have stable head coaching positions and have ranked highly this season, this outcome seems likely. In the NFL, many teams have done surprisingly well this season, but I predict that the Bills will win the Super Bowl in February.

Science and technology have been progressing quickly, and with new restrictions in 2025 like the FOCUS Act, 2026 may look even different. It seems likely AI will continue to become more popular and accurate, but more regulations on this technology are also probable. In the science world, could 2026 be the year humans land on Mars? Probably not, but there is sure to be more space exploration and visits to Mars, even without humans on board.

This year, zigzag headbands from the ’90s came back in style, so more fashion from this decade could be the new trend in 2026, like heavily accessorized hair and animal-printed clothing. We may also see the return of 2000s styles, like low-rise jeans and layered tank tops. In pop culture as a whole, social media will definitely continue to play an influential role, but even as society explores technology, the rise of physical media, like records and CDs, makes me think entertainment offline will grow in influence as well. In the film industry, I see Michael and Wuthering Heights making waves in pop culture.