posted Jul 9th, 2026 - Only three months and two weeks remain until the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026 begins with Round 1 at Skydive Arizona. The NSL News launched its event preview with the first edition of the NSL Power Rankings on May 7th, and it is now time for an update.

The three preview leaderboards in 4-way Open, 4-way Women and 8-way Open were originally based on the results and performances of the strongest teams from each participating nation at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025, complemented by other factors that contributed to projecting how the actual standings in Eloy may develop.

The original 4-way Open Class rankings did not include teams from Russia or Qatar, despite the Tigers winning the bronze medals at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2024 and the Lions representing Qatar at the FAI Indoor World Championship 2025. Qatar's Falcons then captured the FAI 8-way gold medals at Skydive Teuge, where the Qatari delegation did not field a 4-way team. Neither Qatar nor Russia sent any formation skydiving teams to France for the FAI Indoor World Cup 2026, which led to the first edition of the NSL Power Rankings excluding both formation skydiving powerhouses. The updated rankings now include Qatari teams in both the 4-way Open and 8-way Open categories. Meanwhile, there is still no indication that Russian teams will return to FAI competition in time for the World Championship in Eloy.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Open Power Rankings		TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Total	Avg
1	Aethers	FR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	Golden Knights	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Tigers	QA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Skywalkers Most	CZ	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Airbus 4-way Illertissen	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Echochamber	SE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Agera Oceanside	NO	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	SOAR	UK	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Out Of The Blue	NL	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Amnesya	IT	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	Papea	ES	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
13	Savolo	ZA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
13	Flyspot Sky4Four	PL	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
15	Netunos	BR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
15	Havoc	AU	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
17	Indonesia	ID	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

It seems unlikely that any 4-way team from Qatar—or from any other nation—will be able to challenge Aethers (FR), Golden Knights (US) and NMP PCH HayaBusa (BE), who remain the clear favorites for the medal positions. The highest realistic target may therefore be fourth place. However, even that position now has a new leading contender, as the Czech Republic's Skywalkers Most enter their first outdoor world championship with credentials that any Qatari team would first have to overcome.

Whether the Tigers, Lions or Cheetahs represent Qatar in Eloy, a Qatari entry would still have a significant impact on the battle for the Top 10. Any of the three teams would be expected to claim one of those positions, reducing the number of available Top 10 places for the other national teams. With the three projected medal contenders and the additional challengers from the Czech Republic and Qatar occupying five positions, only five Top 10 places would remain for the seven other nations currently in contention. The NSL Power Rankings will be confirmed or adjusted after the official registration deadline has passed or when additional information from participating teams becomes available.

The situation in 4-way Women appears much clearer. If China is absent again and Great Britain does not field a strong NFTO lineup, as was the case at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025, Nephtys could find themselves without any serious opposition for the gold medals. In that scenario, the French team may once again have to measure its performance against the leading scores in the 4-way Open Class. Behind them, Meltemi Oceanside Illertissen (DE) and Thyra (NO) could renew their rivalry, this time for the FAI outdoor bronze medals, unless they can keep up with the new U.S. national team in this category, Ranch TNT SDAZ.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Women Power Rankings		TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Total	Avg
1	Nephtys	FR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	Ranch TNT SDAZ	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	Thyra	NO	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	Meltemi Oceanside Illertissen	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Funky Falcon	NL	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The Qatar Falcons are the reigning FAI Outdoor World Cup champions after their victory in 2025, and they have missed only the FAI Indoor World Cup at Weembi Lille in April this year. Their winning average of 18.1 at Skydive Teuge in the Netherlands was actually higher than XP8's 17.3 average at the USPA Nationals 2025.

XP8 have competed exclusively indoors since then, attending four 10-round meets between November 2025 and the FAI Indoor World Cup in April. France will likely miss a second consecutive outdoor world championship in 8-way, together with Russia, as the NSL News reported on May 14th, despite AethersNephtys claiming the indoor world cup title over XP8 earlier this year.

An appearance by the Qatar Falcons at Skydive Arizona in October would immediately increase the pressure on the reigning U.S. outdoor world champions, who will compete with their new lineup. The Falcons would also become the leading contenders for the silver medals, pushing Germany's Operation Adler back to the projected 3rd place, Germany's bronze medal position of 2022 and 2024. That scenario would take away Brazil's Netunos' opportunity to challenge for their first FAI World Championship medals if the Falcons were absent. If the Qatar Falcons return to the outdoor world championship, they and XP8 would meet for a third consecutive time on the sport's biggest outdoor stage. The U.S. team, however, would do so with a lineup that differs significantly from the one that competed at the FAI Tanay Mondial in August 2021.

FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total	Avg
Rank	8-way Open Power Ranking		TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Total	Avg
1	Paraclete XP8	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2	Falcons	QA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	Operation Adler	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Netunos	BR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Canada8	CA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-