FAI adds Ningbo e-Drone Racing World Cup to June 21 calendar

Ningbo’s virtual return will be a standings test as much as a race, giving pilots one of the clearest chances this season to prove they can turn a real World Cup course into a simulator advantage. FAI has set the e-Drone event for Sunday, June 21 at 12:00 UTC, with registration open from May 11 to June 20 and qualification running from June 12 to June 20.

The race will run in the EreaDrone simulator on a track built as a virtual version of the 2026 FAI Xiaoliu Drone Racing World Cup course used earlier this year in Ningbo, China. That matters because the course is not a generic sim layout. It carries the identity of a live World Cup venue, giving pilots a direct comparison point between real-world form and virtual execution.

FAI plans to livestream the race on its YouTube channel, the EreaDrone YouTube channel and Facebook, with video on demand available afterward. The structure gives the event the look of a full competitive stop, not a side session: a firm registration window, a qualification period, a fixed race time and a broadcast package built to reach fans beyond the cockpit.

The Ningbo stop also lands in the middle of a bigger title chase. FAI says the 2026 e-Drone calendar includes seven simulator events, all on EreaDrone, and that the season rankings will not be finalized until the APEX event on October 11. With results updating automatically as races are published, Ningbo can quickly separate pilots who handle the pressure of a known course from those whose pace is better in the air than on the screen.

The event continues the arc FAI has been building since launching the annual e-Drone Racing World Cup in 2024. Swan Versmissen topped the 2024 overall rankings, and the 2025 series leaned on real-track inspiration as well, including courses tied to Shenzhen and Albizzate, Italy. The formula has become clear: the federation wants the simulator series to mirror the stakes and precision of live drone racing, not merely echo its style.

That push comes alongside a wider 2026 Drone Racing World Cup calendar that features 15 competitions from 13 countries, even as a planned July 4-5 event in La Queue-en-Brie, France, was canceled on May 21. Against that backdrop, Ningbo offers a controlled, globally accessible race environment where pilots can compete from home with a game controller, a Windows computer and a stable internet connection. It is a reminder that drone racing’s next competitive edge may come from how well a pilot adapts when the track is real, virtual, and fully ranked at the same time.