posted Apr 14th, 2026 - The two top 4-way teams in the world, Aethers and Golden Knights, made strong statements at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2026 with the completion of Round 10 last Saturday. The event marked the end of the indoor competition season, while the first outdoor meet is already set for the coming weekend: the Shamrock Showdown 2026 - 1st Bob Hallett Memorial.

Aethers and the Golden Knights are honoring the 1st Bob Hallett Memorial with their participation. Bob Hallett had supported the competition every year until his passing in a car accident in May 2025, just one month after the previous Shamrock Showdown at Skydive DeLand. Notably, no other teams have registered for this year’s event.

It is an impressive commitment by both the French and U.S. national teams, especially given how little time they have to prepare for their head-to-head showdown in DeLand, Florida. Sunday served as a travel day for Aethers following Saturday evening’s awards ceremony, and they were already back in action Monday morning at Skydive DeLand for their next outdoor training session of the year.

Aethers had previously trained at the same location in February after winning the Wind Games 2026, and ahead of last weekend’s dominant performance at Weembi Lille. They outpaced the field decisively in Spain, finishing 28 points ahead of second-place NMP PCH HayaBusa, and the lead was 26 points over the Golden Knights last Saturday. The first outdoor competition of the season will set the tone for both teams as they begin their campaigns toward the world championships in October.

FAI Indoor World Cup 2026			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Combined Top 10		J,20,C,4		10,O,L,M		B,21,N,H		14,F,3		18,16,9		E,6,8		19,1,Q		G,5,12		P,D,17,22		15,11,2		Total	Avg
1	Aethers	FR	33	-1	37		42		30	-1	31		32		33		35		36		27		336	33.6
2	Golden Knights	US	32		34	-1	38	-2	29		29		29		30	-1	30	-1	33		26		310	31.0
3	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	31	-1	32	-3	42		29		30	-1	29		31		29		32	-1	22	-2	307	30.7
4	China Hubei 1	CN	31		35		37	-1	26	-1	30		29		29	-1	30		32		23	-2	302	30.2
5	Siberries	RU	30	-2	33		37		27	-2	28		28	-1	26	-2	29		31		24		293	29.3
6	Skywalkers Most	CZ	28	-3	34	-1	33	-4	28	-1	27		27	-3	28	-2	28	-1	30	-4	24		287	28.7
7	Strike	RU	28	-1	32		36		29		25	-2	26	-2	25	-1	28		32		22	-1	283	28.3
7	Nephtys	FR	29		36		33	-4	25	-2	27		26	-1	28		29		29		21		283	28.3
9	Amnesya Fly X	IT	28	-1	31		34	-3	26		27		25	-3	27	-1	24	-3	28	-1	22		272	27.2
10	16.8.4	RU	25	-1	29	-2	32		24	-1	25	-1	24		26	-1	26	-2	28	-1	22		261	26.1

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Aethers - Golden Knights at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2026

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The NSL News will once again bring the event to its audience, after missing live coverage of the competition at Weembi Lille. The German 4-way Open national team, Airbus Illertissen, also skipped the indoor event, despite having just claimed the national indoor title in March. Instead, they had scheduled outdoor training in DeLand during the same week as the indoor world cup.

Tim Mack, who flies point for Airbus alongside his father, outside center Thomas Mack, was still in DeLand when Aethers arrived and shared a brief update with the NSL News. Tim Mack and Tom Mattoni, outside center for Aethers, are the same age and know each other well from training and competition. They reconnected Monday morning at Skydive DeLand and exchanged experiences. Airbus faced challenging weather conditions and managed just over 60 training jumps, while Aethers look ahead to a full week of favorable conditions for both training and competition.

The Golden Knights are also set to arrive soon, using a few days to prepare for their next direct showdown with the French 4-way Open team. The current U.S. Army lineup was the only team in the Top 10 at the indoor world cup to post a new team-record average over a 10-round competition, securing the silver medal ahead of NMP PCH HayaBusa, who had won their previous matchup at the Wind Games in January. The outdoor showdown with Aethers begins Friday morning.

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NSL TV Unfiltered: Aethers in Training at Skydive DeLand

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