{"id":273942,"date":"2025-11-10T09:46:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T09:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/273942\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T09:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T09:46:07","slug":"drone-soccer-fais-first-head-to-head-team-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/273942\/","title":{"rendered":"Drone soccer: FAI\u2019s first head-to-head team sport"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flashing LED drones race through the air, the crowd cheers, and the referee\u2019s whistle pierces the noise: welcome to Drone Soccer, the FAI\u2019s first-ever team sport, a high-octane, high-tech version of football played in the sky.<\/p>\n

In this new head-to-head discipline, players work together in fast-paced matches, just like in football or other traditional team sports.<\/p>\n

A new kind of team<\/p>\n

The concept of a team isn\u2019t new to air sports.<\/p>\n

In disciplines such as Formation Skydiving, groups perform synchronised routines. The term is also used for national classifications derived from the individual results of athletes from the same country. \u00a0<\/p>\n

But Drone Soccer redefines what a “team” means in air sports. For the first time, two sides go head-to-head in a match format, each trying to outscore the other in real time.<\/p>\n

Another innovation sets this new air sport apart: pilot (or player)\u00a0substitutions. As in football, Drone Soccer teams can replace pilots between sets (though not during play), using their two named substitutes strategically in response to the unfolding action during the match.<\/p>\n

Antonis Papadopoulos, President of the FAI Aeromodelling Commission<\/a> (CIAM), said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very proud to introduce a type of competition that\u2019s completely new to air sports. With substitutions, teams face new tactical challenges. They must read the match, anticipate their opponents\u2019 strengths, and adapt their line-up between sets. But it also means managing different personalities and flying styles within the team, finding the right balance and cohesion to outperform the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Drone
A drone soccer team of five focus on the action. Credit: Yong-chan NAM \/ KAMA<\/p>\n

How do teams play drone soccer?<\/p>\n

Drone Soccer is a fast-paced game of skill, strategy, and teamwork. Each side fields several drones \u2014 one of which is designated as the \u201cstriker\u201d, easily recognisable for spectators with its distinct lights. The striker\u2019s goal is to fly through the opponent\u2019s hoop, a suspended ring just slightly larger than the drone itself.<\/p>\n

While the striker attacks, the other team members defend their own goal and block opposing drones. Success depends not only on precision flying but also strong coordination\u00a0 and communication between the pilots, all at lightning speed.<\/p>\n

Teams consist of up to three players in Class B or five in Class A, each controlling their own drone from the side of the pitch. All drones are enclosed in protective spherical cages and illuminated in team colours.<\/p>\n

Before each match, teams develop a tactical plan, assigning specific roles such as striker or defender. They also build and fine-tune their own drones within FAI technical regulations to best fit their chosen strategy.<\/p>\n

\"Drone
A player fine-tunes their equipment set-up in preparation for a match. Credit: Yong-chan NAM \/ KAMA<\/p>\n

How is drone soccer scored?<\/p>\n

Matches are played in three sets, each lasting three minutes.<\/p>\n

\tThe team that scores the most goals in a set wins that set.
\n\tThe first team to win two sets wins the match.<\/p>\n

If a set ends in a tie \u2014 whether no goals are scored or both teams are level \u2014 the outcome is decided by a penalty shoot-out: three attempts per team, where the striker has 10 seconds to fly through the goal while a defender from the opposing team tries to block the shot.<\/p>\n

If the match remains tied after penalties, a sudden-death set begins: the first team to score wins.<\/p>\n

\"Judging
Live scoring technology.\u00a0Credit: Yong-chan NAM \/ KAMA<\/p>\n

How it started<\/p>\n

Drone Soccer was created in Korea in 2016 as a way for drone pilots to enjoy the fun of a team sport. Teams and rivalries developed and the game spread until the first international competitions in 2019 when FAI classed it as an official air sport.<\/p>\n

The inaugural Drone Soccer World Cup took place in South Korea in 2023 and the first FAI World Championships is being held in Shanghai, China from 15-18 November 2025.<\/p>\n

Follow the 1st FAI World Drone Soccer Championship<\/p>\n

Header image: Team photo at the\u00a0Drone Soccer World Cup in South Korea, 2023.\u00a0Credit: Yong-chan NAM \/ KAMA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Flashing LED drones race through the air, the crowd cheers, and the referee\u2019s whistle pierces the noise: welcome…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-273942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-soccer","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}