posted Jan 30th, 2026 - The Wind Games 2026 in Empuriabrava, Spain, have passed the halfway mark, with six rounds completed. The remaining four rounds are all scheduled for Saturday, with Round 10 set for mid-afternoon local time.

There have been few surprises so far. NMP PCH HayaBusa team captain Dennis Praet, along with Arizona Airspeed and HayaBusa coach Gary Smith, closely reviewed the NSL Power Rankings and made their final adjustments before the competition began.

After Round 6, the standings largely confirm those forecasts. The French Aethers appear to be even further ahead than expected, while NMP PCH HayaBusa and the Golden Knights are trying to stay within reach, round by round. The Belgian team is the only one to have matched a French score, achieving a tie in Round 3. Coach Gary Smith and HayaBusa can be more than satisfied with their performance so far, holding a seven-point lead over the Golden Knights after six rounds.

Discussions during the NSL Live Talk sessions in the week leading up to Round 1 resulted in Tunnel Vision being elevated to a clear position between the top three teams and the chasing pack. However, Unruly, Arizona Airspeed, and Dynos have challenged that assessment, posting scores at a comparable level. As a result, a tight four-team group sits just behind the top three after Round 6. Only Italy’s Amnesya FlyX has struggled to keep pace with Unruly and Tunnel Vision, whose lineups include three former Chimera teammates: Sarah Ashworth and James Woods for Unruly, and Laura Hampton for Tunnel Vision.

Wind Games 2026			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		13,15,M		8,N,G,L		H,6,16		Q,D,J,12		17,P,21		7,3,2		F,19,11		B,20,4		22,E,10		C,9,5		O,18,K,A		Total	Avg
1	Aethers	FR	31	-2	37	-2	32	-1	39		34		29		-		-		-		-		-		202	33.7
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	27	-3	34	-2	32		33	-1	33		26	-1	-		-		-		-		-		185	30.8
3	Golden Knights	US	30	-1	32	-2	29		31	-3	31	-1	25		-		-		-		-		-		178	29.7
4	Unruly		28	-3	30	-2	26	-3	32	-1	29		26		-		-		-		-		-		171	28.5
4	Tunnel Vision	US	27	-1	32		28		29	-4	30		25		-		-		-		-		-		171	28.5
6	Arizona Airspeed	US	27	-2	31		27	-2	31	-3	29	-1	25		-		-		-		-		-		170	28.3
7	Dynos		26	-1	30	-1	27	-1	30	-1	29		26		-		-		-		-		-		168	28.0
8	Amnesya Fly X	IT	23	-3	29		24	-1	25	-4	27		20	-1	-		-		-		-		-		148	24.7
9	Skynamite	DE	23		24		24		27	-2	20	-1	21		-		-		-		-		-		139	23.2
10	Monaco F1	FR	21	-2	26		26		21	-5	20	-3	21		-		-		-		-		-		135	22.5
11	Yasuke		23	-3	22	-3	21	-2	25	-1	22	-2	20	-1	-		-		-		-		-		133	22.2
12	Feathers	RU	23	-1	21	-4	22	-2	25	-1	21	-2	20		-		-		-		-		-		132	22.0
13	MaxQ	PL	21		22	-4	21	-1	23	-1	24		20	-1	-		-		-		-		-		131	21.8
14	Kairos	UK	22		23	-1	20	-2	26		21	-3	18		-		-		-		-		-		130	21.7
15	Aerokart Ak'demie	FR	22	-1	20	-1	24		19	-2	22		19		-		-		-		-		-		126	21.0
16	Airdrops	CH	19	-1	20	-1	20		23	-1	19	-1	19		-		-		-		-		-		120	20.0
17	Panthers	CZ	22	-1	18	-4	22		17	-5	21	-2	19	-1	-		-		-		-		-		119	19.8
18	Magyx	ES	21	-1	22	-1	21		24		18	-3	12	-4	-		-		-		-		-		118	19.7
19	WingX	CH	22		16	-5	22		17	-4	20		19		-		-		-		-		-		116	19.3
20	Oblivion	FR	18	-1	19	-1	20		19		19		17		-		-		-		-		-		112	18.7
21	Double Trouble	SK	16		14	-3	15	-2	15	-1	14	-1	15		-		-		-		-		-		89	14.8
22	No Chicken	CZ	14	-1	14	-2	14	-1	16	-1	12	-2	12	-1	-		-		-		-		-		82	13.7

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Skynamite at the Wind Games 2026

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The winners of the first two days and the opening six rounds are Skynamite, featuring three German 4-way competitors—Katharina Reiß, Sylvia Schlaphof, and Yasmin Schütte—alongside former Airheads member Marco Keller from Switzerland. While Skynamite previously competed for Germany at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2022, the team has now chosen to compete under the Swiss flag.

Their 23.2 average after Round 6 marks the highest scoring level in the team’s history and has earned them an unexpected place inside the Top 10. The remaining four rounds could allow Skynamite to maintain that average, as could the other teams. At the same time, the final rounds also offer an opportunity for teams behind Skynamite and Monaco F1 to close the gap.

Five teams remain within striking distance—close enough to challenge Monaco F1, who are currently defending 10th place. Skynamite hold a six-point lead over Yasuke, the first team outside the Top 10. Yasuke, with player-coaches Roy Janssen, Michele Silvi, and Livio Piccolo in the lineup, were widely expected to be part of the Top 10 battle from the outset. For now, however, Skynamite and Monaco F1 have pushed Yasuke out of that inside position.

Air World Championships 2026			1		2		3		4		5		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open		4,18,1		20,10,O		11,M,J,G		6,N,22		16,D,E,9		Total	Avg
1	Siberries	RU	25		24	-1	31		26		36	-1	142	28.4
2	Paraclete XP4	US	18	-1	21		30		19	-2	31		119	23.8
3	XP3+Carl	US	18		17	-1	26		21		26	-1	108	21.6
4	Kuzbass	AE	13	-3	16		20	-2	16		21		86	17.2

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Siberries - XP4 at the Air World Championships in Abu Dhabi

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The Russian 4-way team Feathers was featured in the update on January 28th, following the NSL Live Talk with Gary Smith. Feathers are currently in the midst of the Top 10 battle for the final remaining slot, sitting three points behind Monaco F1.

Another recent 4-way competition took place as part of the Air World Championship at the CLYMB Abu Dhabi wind tunnel. The NSL News covered the event’s 8-way competition in an update on January 26th, when Paraclete XP’s new lineup went head-to-head with Russia’s 8-way team Tanay 8.

The four 4-way teams completed only five rounds. Both U.S. lineups consisted almost entirely of XP8 members, including alternate Jill Stephenson, with the sole exception of Laura Galdamez in the all-female XP4 lineup. Neither of the XP8 pickup teams was able to challenge the Russian women’s 4-way team Siberries, a well-trained lineup that previously made NSL News headlines on June 5th, 2025. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the 4-way competition was the unique head-to-head format, with two 4-way teams flying simultaneously in the same chamber. The 32-foot tunnel in Abu Dhabi made this rare setup possible, adding a distinctive and compelling element to the event.