posted Oct 18th, 2026 - The two remaining teams in the 4-way Open Class competition at the FAI Outdoor World Championship 2026, Flyspot Sky4Four from Poland and Skywalkers Most from the Czech Republic, have now arrived at Skydive Arizona, completing the 13-team field. The same is true for the 4-way Women and 8-way Open events, with the Canadian 8-way team and Brazil’s Netunos having arrived as well.

The NSL News had previously removed the 4-way VFS leaderboard from its coverage in the run-up to the event after the FAI/ISC did not receive enough official registrations to hold the competition. FAI/ISC rules require at least four national teams to be registered for a world championship event. The 4-way VFS discipline fell short of that minimum for the competition at Skydive Arizona.

The relevant rule states: “When fewer than 4 NACs have entered in discipline or sub-discipline (as defined in the Competition Rules) at an FCE, GS 4.7.1 permits the ISC to determine whether the event will take place and whether the title of Champion will be awarded.” The FAI/ISC determined that the insufficient number of registrations for 4-way VFS warranted cancellation. The decision was announced in the second information bulletin: “VFS Cancellation: Due to insufficient registrations, the Vertical Formation Skydiving sub-discipline has been cancelled for this competition.”

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Last Training on Sunday at Skydive Arizona

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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	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Funky Falcon	NL	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The 4-way Women event is facing a situation not far removed from the one that led to the cancellation of 4-way VFS in Eloy. Only four teams are registered for the competition, the minimum required for a world championship event. Participation in 4-way Women has declined steadily since reaching its peak at Dubai 2012. The minimum of four teams was already reached in 2021 and 2022, before participation rose to five teams at Crystal Coast 2024. Now, the number has dropped back to four at Skydive Arizona.

The situation could become even more serious for an event if participation continues to decline. Under the FAI/ISC rules, an event may be removed from the competition rules if fewer than four national teams participate at two consecutive First Category Events (World Championships or World Cups). However, the FAI/ISC Bureau is also “responsible for an annual review of this provision and obtaining Plenary approval for any removal as a valid event.”

The 8-way competition is not in a much stronger position, with only five teams on the leaderboard. This matches participation levels in 2022 and 2024, following a similarly steady decline since Dubai 2012. At least the 8-way event promises an intriguing battle between Paraclete XP8, now featuring Niklas Hemlin and John D’Annunzio in its lineup, and the Qatar Falcons. By contrast, the four teams in 4-way Women appear likely to finish in their expected positions, with little prospect of a serious challenge between them for the medals or other leaderboard places.

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4-way Women participation at FAI Outdoor World Championships between 2021 and 2026

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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	Qatar Falcons	QA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1	Paraclete XP8	US	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3	Operation Adler	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Netunos	BR	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	Canada8	CA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

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