posted Aug 13th, 2026 - Today is the first official day of the military CISM World Championship 2026, which the NSL News has brought to its audience’s attention several times. The event has its own rules and regulations, which differ from those of other FAI/ISC events and produce higher scores and averages. The results therefore cannot realistically be compared with those at FAI World Championships and World Cups, or with other national championships that follow the rules of civilian formation skydiving competition.

The dive pool for the eight competition rounds is different and reduced, while the sequences are more predictable, with only one block per round and a few random formations. Each sequence begins with a Star (M), followed by a 35-second working time that starts when the team breaks the Star, or at the latest five seconds after exit. The 4-way events are separated into male and female competitions, with separate leaderboards. Seventeen national teams are registered for the male 4-way competition this year and three for female 4-way. There are no mixed-gender lineups.

The NSL News is paying particular attention because a few teams at the CISM World Championship also regularly participate in civilian 4-way competition. In fact, the two strongest CISM teams are also the world’s two strongest teams behind the French Aethers in civilian 4-way competition: Golden Knights (US) and NMP PCH HayaBusa (BE). Spain’s Papea also usually participates in both environments.

The NSL News has mentioned previously that the results of the CISM World Championship have no impact on any civilian leaderboards or rankings. However, the event is highly relevant for Golden Knights and NMP PCH HayaBusa as they continue their preparations for the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026 in October. There is also a psychological factor involved as the two teams prepare for their rematch at the most important event in formation skydiving competition.

CISM Military 2024			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		Total	Avg
Rank	4-way Male - Top 4		M,16,E,B		M,D,F,21		M,A,C,22		M,O,19,P		M,H,L,11		M,G,N,1		M,17,K,J		M,Q,R,14		Total	Avg
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	37	1	36		30		34		30	2	30	1	39		31	2	267	33.4
2	Golden Knights	US	35	2	35		28	2	36		34		30		37		28	1	263	32.9
3	Qatar Tigers	QA	38	1	31	3	25	4	37		31	1	25	3	38	1	29		254	31.8
4	Papea	ES	27	2	33		26		29		32		27	1	30	1	24		228	28.5

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NMP PCH HayaBusa - Golden Knights at the CISM World Championship 2024, Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/InTime

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Golden Knights and NMP PCH HayaBusa have been very close at the events where both teams competed with their current lineups. New HayaBusa member Ray Lodens joined the team in 2023 and made his debut in the active lineup at the ISR Grand Prix 2023 indoor competition.

The complete current lineup—Outside Center and Team Captain Dennis Praet, Inside Center Neal Willems, Tail Jeroen Nollet, Point Ray Lodens, with David Grauwels on camera—had its first direct confrontation with the current Golden Knights lineup—Inside Center and Team Captain Jesse Stahler, Outside Center Mitch Stockenberg, Tail Nick Birkner, Point Mike Connors, with Skyler Romberg on camera—at the Wind Games 2025 indoor competition in January 2025. The new HayaBusa lineup surprisingly won the duel, finishing 2nd behind Aethers.

Ray Lodens was not part of the lineup that represented the Belgian military forces at the CISM World Championship 2024, as the NSL News reported on 9 July 2024. David Grauwels, original HayaBusa member and world champion in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021, moved from his new camera slot back to outside center for the CISM event. He helped secure another set of CISM gold medals for Belgium after an exciting four-point battle with the current Golden Knights lineup. David Grauwels returned to his camera slot after the CISM World Championship in Hungary, where Inside Center Neal Willems won his first CISM gold medal. Ray Lodens has remained HayaBusa’s point ever since.

XP Summer Classic 2026			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA/Open/Advanced Class		L,O,15,10		8,G,17		13,1,21		K,2,E,B		14,18,A		20,Q,J,F		4,H,6		9,N,12		3,16,11		M,D,5,P		Total	Avg
1	Golden Knights	US	23		25		23		31	-1	21		31		24		25		20		38		261	26.1
2	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	24		23		22	-1	27	-3	20	-1	33		22		25		23		38		257	25.7
3	Arizona Airspeed	US	23		21		20		29		18		32		24		24		20		38		249	24.9
4	Couples Therapy	US	11	-2	11	-1	11	-1	16	-1	12	-1	19	-2	13	-1	15		12		21	-1	141	14.1
5	Redline XP	US	10	-1	16		12	-2	16		13		16	-2	14	-1	14		12		16	-1	139	13.9
6	Platinum XP	US	10		11		11		15		10		16		11		12	-1	10		16		122	12.2

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NMP PCH HayaBusa - Golden Knights at the Paraclete XP Summer Classic 2024, Video Footage Courtesy of FAI/InTime

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However, it would take almost another full year before the current Golden Knights and HayaBusa lineups would confront each other directly for the first time. Arizona Airspeed represented the United States at Crystal Coast 2024 and won the gold medals, while NMP PCH HayaBusa, with new member Ray Lodens, finished in 4th place.

NMP PCH HayaBusa won the CISM World Championship 2025 without much opposition, as the Golden Knights could not attend due to the government shutdown in the United States. Ray Lodens won his first CISM World Championship gold medal in Qatar 2025.

HayaBusa won the indoor duel with the Golden Knights again at the Wind Games 2026, after the U.S. Army team had outscored the Belgians by nine points at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025, which was the first outdoor duel between the two complete current lineups. The Golden Knights then won the indoor rematch at the FAI Indoor World Cup 2026.

The U.S. winning margin was down to four points at the Paraclete XP Summer Classic 2026, and the CISM World Championship 2026 could turn into another 4-way thriller, just nine weeks before Round 1 of the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026. No competition rounds were scheduled for today in Slovakia, the host country for this year’s CISM World Championship. The event usually takes its time, and the scores from this exciting duel will trickle in day by day.