The 2026 Arkansas high school football season arrives with familiar powers at the top, programs facing new challenges and several championship races that could look considerably different by the time the playoffs arrive.
Bryant remains the standard at the state’s highest level. Benton enters as the clear preseason favorite in Class 6A. Class 5A could produce one of the deepest championship races in Arkansas, while Stuttgart, Fordyce and Junction City begin the year atop their respective classifications. Meanwhile, in 8-man football, the race appears wide open.
