If there is one thing 2026 has taught us so far, it’s that humanity apparently looked at the chaos of previous years and decided, “You know what? Let’s increase the difficulty level.” Between global conflicts, political insanity, disease outbreaks, football heartbreak, and the academic disasterclass that has been this term, the year has somehow managed to feel both six months long and six years long at the same time.
Politically, the world wasted absolutely no time descending into madness. Before the wars had even fully kicked off, Donald Trump somehow managed to capture the Venezuelan president during a late-night operation because apparently international diplomacy now works like a Call of Duty campaign mission. The craziest part is that people barely reacted. At this point, world news headlines are so ridiculous that everybody just stares at their phones for five seconds and continues eating supper like nothing happened.
Then came the conflicts between America, Israel, and the Middle East because apparently world leaders woke up and collectively decided peace was overrated. Donald Trump, who famously promised there would be “no wars” during his presidency, somehow managed to speedrun international conflict like he was trying to unlock hidden achievements. Every week felt like another season finale of American politics.
And of course, social media immediately did what social media does best: turn geopolitics into memes. The internet spent weeks debating whether Israel is even a real place, producing enough slander, conspiracy theories, and TikTok edits to confuse entire generations of children studying geography. Somewhere out there, a Grade 8 learner is genuinely wondering if Israel was generated by AI.
As if global conflict wasn’t enough, the surprise Hantavirus outbreak had everybody convinced we were about to run back the lockdown era. Suddenly everyone became a health expert again overnight. People started coughing once and immediately acting like they were starring in Contagion 2. PTSD from online school kicked in instantly. The thought of hearing “Please switch your cameras on” ever again nearly sent the entire student population into cardiac arrest. Some people were already mentally preparing to load up Fortnite again like it was 2020 all over.
In sports, football fans experienced emotional warfare of a completely different kind. Arsenal somehow won the Premier League, proving once and for all that sometimes football truly loses. After years of bottling absolutely everything in sight, Arsenal fans finally got their moment. To be fair, they didn’t quadruple bottle this season. Unfortunately, they also didn’t win the quadruple they spent half the year promising everybody they would win. Small details.
PSG also finally won the UEFA Champions League, because apparently throwing unlimited money at a football club does eventually work if you wait long enough. Arsenal’s European campaign ended in the most Arsenal way possible. The moment they scored against PSG, they immediately started parking the bus with 80 minutes still left to play. Defending a one-goal lead for basically an entire match while everybody panics? Pure heritage.
With the World Cup approaching, debates have already started over who deserves to win it all. Personally, I want Portugal to win because Cristiano Ronaldo is the GOAT. Don’t get angry, guys. Some people enjoy peace, others enjoy watching football debates destroy lifelong friendships. It builds character.
Closer to home, however, Al-Falaah gave us something far more meaningful than global politics and football arguments. The Al-Falaah College U19 boys finally won their last ever AMS tournament after months of training, sacrifice, and hearing “next year” repeatedly. This time, the hard work actually paid off. The boys were prolific throughout the tournament and played with confidence from start to finish.
And yes, they FINALLY beat Orient Islamic School. Better late than never. Historians will study this achievement for generations.
A special mention has to go to Owais Shaik, who was outstanding throughout the tournament and deservedly walked away with Player of the Tournament honours. Muhammad Khan also delivered an incredible campaign, finishing as the tournament’s top goal scorer and proving to be one of the deadliest attackers on the field.
Academically, this term has felt like a social experiment designed to test how much stress students can physically survive. Teachers resigned halfway through the term, chickenpox outbreaks forced online school, public holidays kept interrupting momentum, and somehow we still had to finish syllabus on time. At one point, it genuinely felt like the academic calendar was being generated randomly every morning.
Honestly, it’s a miracle we even completed the work. Between constantly trying to catch up, preparing for exams, and pretending we understand what is happening in Maths, everybody has been running purely on caffeine, duas, and survival instincts.
Now, as exams approach, the entire school has entered that yearly stage of collective panic where everybody suddenly becomes religiously committed to studying after ignoring their notes for months. Group chats are filled with “Guys what’s coming out?” messages, teachers are moving through past papers like speedrunners, and students are bargaining with Allah in ways never seen before.
But despite the chaos, confusion, sickness outbreaks, football heartbreak, political insanity, and academic suffering, 2026 has still managed to give us moments worth remembering. Whether it was sporting victories, unforgettable memories with friends, or simply surviving another hectic school term, this year has definitely kept us entertained.
Now all that remains is the final challenge: exams.
May Allah make it easy for all of us.
Because at this point, we genuinely need it.