posted Sep 5th, 2026 - Belgium and the Netherlands are once again combining their national outdoor championships. This year, the event is hosted by Skydive Flanders in Schaffen, Belgium. The joint championship was established in 2023, when the two countries' federations agreed to share the logistics and work together.

The joint venture resembles the annual ESL Championship (European Skydiving League), which has been open to teams from across Europe since it was created in 2003. Teams from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria attended the first ESL Championship, as the NSL News reported on 16 February 2004.

The ESL Championship 2003 was the launching pad for NMP PCH HayaBusa, who won their very first 4-way competition as Spa HayaBusa. Four years later, they decided to join the Belgian military services and went on to become 4-way world champions in 2014.

Sven Ibens was a founding member of the first HayaBusa lineup but could not make the transition to becoming a full-time competitor in 2006. His son, Siem Ibens, is now flying in the point slot for the Dutch national team Out Of The Blue.

BENELUX Open Championship 2026			1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		Total	Avg
Rank	AAA Class		Q,12,16		O,B,7,L		10,1,17		P,D,M,C,21		8,N,4		15,A,9		13,11,3		18,19,2		20,E,6		K,J,G,5		22,F,H,14		Total	Avg
1	NMP PCH HayaBusa	BE	21	-1	38		21		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		80	26.7
2	AYRO	BE	16	-1	25	-3	14	-2	-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		55	18.3
3	Out Of The Blue	NL	14	-1	22	-2	14		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		50	16.7
4	Sp1nn3rs	NL	11	-2	20		13		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		44	14.7
5	Full Flow	BE	11		17	-1	11		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		39	13.0
6	Hybris	BE	8	-4	18		12	-1	-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		38	12.7
7	Funky Falcon	NL	10		17		8	-2	-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		35	11.7
8	Spare Rib Masters	NL	7		11		5	-1	-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		23	7.7
9	Bust a Move	NL	6	-1	9		7		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		22	7.3
Rank	AA Class		Q,L,21		O,B,7		1,2		P,D,M,C		8,N,4		15,A,9		13,11		18,19		20,E,6		K,J,G,22		F,H,14		Total	Avg
1	Fourplay	BE	13		15		9		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		37	12.3
2	4/2 The Floor	BE	7		14		10		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		31	10.3
3	Funnel Out		9		12		6		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		27	9.0
4	The Loop	BE	6		11		7		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		24	8.0
4	4igami	NL	8		11		5		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		24	8.0
6	De Daltons	BE	5		11		7		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		23	7.7
Rank	A Class		Q,L,21		O,B,7		2,C		P,D,M		8,N		A,9		4,H		19,F		E,6		K,J,G		H,C,6		Total	Avg
1	Niwatori	BE	8		9		6		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		23	7.7
2	Extra Loo/ad	NL	6		8		7		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		21	7.0
Rank	Rookie		Q,L,O		B,C,N		A,F,E		P,D,M		H,C,K		G,J,H		A,L,Q		E,M,F		O,N,D		K,J,G		P,B,L		Total	Avg
1	Chicken Wings	BE	1		2		3		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		-		6	2.0

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NMP PCH HayaBusa at the BENELUX Open 2026

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Twelve teams from four different countries competed at the ESL Championship 2003, while 17 teams from Belgium and the Netherlands have completed three rounds so far in Schaffen, Belgium, with one international guest team also on the leaderboard. The Belgian delegation is dominating the competition after Round 3, holding the lead in each of the four NSL/ESL categories.

The event organizers have not changed the A Class dive pool, as USPA did at the beginning of the 2026 season. The NSL News brought the changes to the attention of its audience on June 17th. The two A Class teams from Belgium and the Netherlands will face Block 8 (Canadian T – Canadian T) in Round 5 and Block 19 (Ritz – Icepick) in Round 8.

The A Class duel appears to be the only competition in which Belgium is facing serious opposition, with Dutch team Extra Loo/ad only two points behind after Round 3. However, both teams will take home at least one national A Class championship title, regardless of how the duel ends.

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Out Of The Blue at the BENELUX Open 2026

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The situation is different on the AAA Class leaderboard, where three national teams are posting their final scores before traveling to Arizona for the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026. NMP PCH HayaBusa are expectedly far ahead of all other teams in Schaffen, and there are only two other 4-way Open Class teams in the world with the potential to outscore the Belgians: the French Aethers and the Golden Knights. Their battle for the FAI/ISC gold medals will follow next month.

Out Of The Blue (OOTB) have tested their new Dutch lineup only in indoor competition so far, first at the BENELUX Indoor Championship 2026 in March, followed by the FAI Indoor World Cup 2026 a month later. The three competition rounds completed so far at the BENELUX Outdoor Championship 2026 are their first with exits from a Cessna Caravan.

Funky Falcon will compete in 4-way Women for the Dutch delegation in Eloy. They are back with the same lineup that competed at the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025 in Teuge. The same three national teams also attended the BENELUX Outdoor Championship in September last year and the indoor event in March. NMP PCH HayaBusa and OOTB are sharing the 4-way Open Class leaderboard, while Funky Falcon are competing in 4-way Women.

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Funky Falcon at the BENELUX Open 2026

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