posted Mar 11th, 2026 - Expectations for an exciting 8-way competition at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2026 may be nearly as high as they are for the two horizontal 4-way events. This is somewhat surprising, as FAI/ISC indoor and outdoor competitions over the past decade have been clearly dominated by U.S. 8-way teams—first by the Golden Knights, then by Paraclete XP8, and at times by combinations of both teams (GKXP8).

GKXP8 won the previous FAI/ISC indoor competition at Paraclete XP in April last year by a margin of 50 points over France’s D'Arc8 (325–275). The team in third place, Qatar Falcons, finished 68 points behind the winner (325–257). The same two contenders from France and Qatar will return for the Indoor World Cup just a year later next month, and it would normally seem almost impossible to close such a gap in only a year to create a truly close competition.

However, the situation already looked very different just half a year later, when the new Paraclete XP8 lineup traveled to France to compete at the Weembinamic 2025. French team Nova finished in first place on the traditional leaderboard after XP8 stumbled in the very last round. D'Arc8, led by French formation skydiving legend Martial Ferré and competing with nearly the same lineup used at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2025, actually finished in third place but still won the event under the special Weembinamic format.

FAI Indoor World Championship 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open		D,4,17		C,22,10		5,P,Q,18		1,M,J,O		16,6,19		H,8,21		12,13,A		L,G,K,9		15,F,7		E,2,N,B		Total	Avg
1	GKXP8	US	39	-1	30		31		40	-1	29	-2	24		28		32	-2	37		35	-2	325	32.5
2	D'Arc8	FR	38		26		26	-1	34	-1	24	-1	22		22	-2	27		29	-3	27		275	27.5
3	Qatar Falcons	QA	37		22	-4	26	-2	30	-5	25	-2	20	-2	22	-3	26	-2	24	-3	25	-3	257	25.7
4	China	CN	24		18	-1	19	-1	23	-2	22		17		18		19	-5	22		18	-3	200	20.0
5	Netunos	BR	20	-3	18		20	-1	23		19		13	-1	17		20	-3	13		15	-3	178	17.8
6	Team Canada	CA	18	-1	14		13	-3	17		15	-2	14		10	-3	17	-1	14		11	-2	143	14.3

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GKXP8 - D'Arc8 at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2025

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It became evident in November 2025 that the U.S. 8-way team would no longer be able to pull away from the rest of the world’s 8-way field as easily as before. Only Jeana Billings, Matt Davidson, and Kirk Verner returned as reigning 8-way world champions after changes to the XP8 lineup, which opened the door again for French 8-way teams to become competitive in the event. France had previously won the 8-way world championship titles consecutively between 2006 and 2010.

The French 8-way team that finished in first place at the Weembinamic 2025, Nova, is not registered for the upcoming indoor world cup, where up to four teams may compete as part of each country’s delegation. Even so, the situation does not make it any easier for XP8 to successfully defend its position as indoor world champion. The NSL News reported on February 20th that French national coach Mathieu Bernier has registered a new 8-way team for the indoor world cup.

The two French national teams in 4-way Open, Aethers, and in 4-way Women, Nephtys, will join forces for the 8-way competition, naturally placing them among the top contenders on the 8-way leaderboard. Mathieu Bernier himself brings extensive 8-way experience, as he was part of the French lineups that won three consecutive sets of gold medals in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

Weembinamic 2025			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Top 3		19,10,J		Q,5,M,8		11,P,C,16		D,1,N,22		9,H,15		13,2,21		O,12,17		20,A,6		18,F,4		3,L,G,E		Total	Avg
1	Nova	FR	21		24	-1	34		32		25	-1	21		29		26		32		51		295	29.5
2	Paraclete XP8	US	24		25	-1	34	-1	34		28	-1	20	-1	27	-2	25	-1	35	-1	42	-10	294	29.4
3	D'Arc8	FR	23		22	-1	33	-1	31		25	-1	20	-1	27	-1	29		30	-1	48		288	28.8

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Nova - Paraclete XP8 - D'Arc8 at the Weembinamic 2025

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The new XP8 lineup, featuring five new team members (Jennifer Davidson, Doug Barron, James Hall, Carl Kallgren IV, and Brandon Kashani), still set the benchmark for their two French opponents when they posted a 30.9 average at the Paraclete XP Indoor Championship last month. Their performance included a 50-point round in the 8-way Super Sequence of Round 1.

It is probably difficult for Mathieu Bernier’s former 4-way and 8-way world champion teammate Jérémie Rollett to imagine how challenging it may be to secure a spot on the 8-way podium at Weembi Lille. He has been coaching the Qatar Falcons for several years and guided them to an outdoor silver medal at Crystal Coast 2024, as well as indoor bronze medals behind GKXP8 and D'Arc8 in April last year. The Qatar Falcons appear to be in a relatively secure position behind the leading medal contenders, with their main goal likely being to challenge any of the three expected top teams if an opportunity arises.

Five of the six teams that competed at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2025 will return for the Indoor World Cup at Weembi Lille, including the all-female lineup of China’s 8-way team. All of them are expected to finish ahead of the rest of the field. The status of the international XONR8 team, however, remains unknown at this point.

FAI Indoor World Cup 2026			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	NSL Power Rankings 8-way Open		TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Total	Avg
1	Paraclete XP8	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1	D'Arc8	FR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1	France 3	FR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Qatar Falcons	QA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	XONR8	INT	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	China	CN	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Netunos	BR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Infinite Octane XP	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Airbus	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	FLY X8	IT	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
11	Octobuzz by Banter	UK	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
11	Elev8	UK	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
11	Chicanovas	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-