It’s that time of year again when the Werth team gathers to make our predictions about the year ahead. As always, some ideas came quickly, others required convincing and a few were just too entertaining to leave out.

And with that, I’m pleased to present to you the Werth Fearless Forecast for 2026. And, be sure to check out our self-assessment on last year’s predictions.

1. The truth is out there. In 2026, it will become official: We are not alone. A recent documentary featuring Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other high-ranking national security leaders argues there’s been an 80-year cover-up of nonhuman intelligence. Congress is taking this issue seriously enough to have held several unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) hearings in recent years and introduced bipartisan transparency and whistleblower protection legislation. The Trump Administration will announce next year that it has confirmed UAP life in our galaxy and that the government has recovered technology from another world. This stunning announcement will kick off this generation’s space race: a fierce competition among developed nations to reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology.
2. Humans are trending. “Generated by AI” is a tagline you might see on advertisements, videos or other current content. While some might include it for transparency, it’s generally a boast: Look at the amazing things we can do with emerging technology. But in 2026, AI will lose its cool, and there will be a new nostalgia for human creativity. That isn’t to say that businesses and individuals will use it less — they’ll actually use it more. But smarter brands will do so quietly. Meanwhile, there will be a noticeable trend in those who brag about not using AI, perhaps adding a “Generated by Actual People” tagline, and the Make America Human Again movement will be well underway.
3. A British victory — on U.S. soil. Modern international game of football — what you and I call “soccer” — was born in England in the 1800s, and the England national football team played its Scottish counterpart in Glasgow in what FIFA recognizes as the first international football match. (The match ended, predictably, in a scoreless draw.) Despite this heritage, the Brits have won the FIFA World Cup only once, in 1966, as they’ve watched their rivals from Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and France rack up multiple titles. How fitting it will be when, 60 years hence, England wins its second title in the U.S. — a country where the British have had some high-profile defeats. Although Spain is the odds-on favorite going into the tournament, the Three Lions “are right up there,” according to The New York Times: “Their results were flawless in qualifying, they possess great depth, have a Champions League-winning manager and reached two finals in their past three tournaments.” As they say in England, “it’s coming home.”
4. Brown(s) win(s)! When it comes to losing in Ohio, no one does it quite like the Cleveland Browns and the Democratic Party. The Browns are finishing up another losing season, which will be their 13^th in the past 15 years. As for the Democrats, since 2010, they’ve gone a combined 2 of 8 in Ohio’s presidential and U.S. Senate elections and are 0 and 20 for statewide offices. It would be reckless to predict that both trends will be reversed in 2026 — but one of them will. The Browns will patch together a competent offense to complement its sturdy defense and post a winning record, which could be enough to win the mediocre AFC North. Or the national backlash against Republicans that manifested itself in the 2025 elections, will be enough to nudge Sherrod Brown over Sen. Jon Husted next November. As for the Blue Jackets, well, watch out for them in ’27.
5. Meanness reverts to the mean. For years, predictions for a kinder, gentler politics have been proven to be wishful thinking. Whenever you thought U.S. elections couldn’t get meaner, they did, and that spirit has played out in how officeholders engage with each other and the people they serve. The 2026 national midterms will be the moment when this trend is finally reversed, if only temporarily. When it is, it won’t be because anyone’s heart grew three sizes while looking over Mount Crumpit. It will be that the political violence, policy cruelty and childish name-calling of the past couple of years has been too much, and the American voter is, at long last, over it. Next November, there will be candidates — both Democrats and Republicans — who win contested, high-profile races without demonizing their opponents or dehumanizing American constituencies. There will still be sharp ideological divides and heated policy debates, but politicians — the smart ones, anyway — will make a point of publicly showing respect for their rivals, saving their vitriol for private conversation.
6. Millennials are impervious to nostalgia. The entertainment industry has determined over the past couple of decades that the best way to separate Generation Xers from their money is by selling them reminders of their childhoods. 1980s hits seem to be more popular now than they were in the 1980s. Fiftysomethings who grew up on Marvel Comics and Star Wars movies have been fed a steady diet of cinema and Disney+ programs. Even original content like “Stranger Things” is sprinkled with nostalgia for those who came of age during the Reagan Administration. Fellow millennials, now they’re coming for us — and we’re not falling for it. The following sequels and reboots of turn-of-the-century-era entertainment are scheduled to come out in 2026: The Devil Wears Prada 2, Masters of the Universe, Mortal Combat 2, The Mummy, Scream 7 and Toy Story 5. None of them will be among the top five grossing movies of the year. But don’t worry Hollywood. Those Gen-Xers will drag their grandkids to see Avengers: Doomsday.

.