Ningbo to host first Drone Racing World Cup, 20 nations set to compete

Ningbo and Shenzhen are turning late May into the busiest stretch on China’s FPV calendar, and that matters because the sport’s center of gravity is starting to look less scattered and a lot more deliberate. One city is putting the 2026 Drone Racing World Cup on a defined race site with a full competitive program. The other is packing the hardware side of the sport into a major UAV expo. Together, they show where the racing, the technology and the money are converging.

Ningbo will host the 2026 FAI Drone Racing World Cup for the first time from May 28 to 31 at the Ningbo Sports Development Center. The field is set to bring athletes, coaches, assistants, judges and officials from 20 countries and regions, including China, Australia, Japan, the United States, South Korea and Thailand. That is not exhibition language. It is world-stage language, and the event is being run under the FAI Model Aircraft Commission for competitors holding valid FAI sporting licenses.

The schedule is built like a serious championship, not a festival stop. Pilots’ registration and equipment inspection are set for May 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the opening ceremony runs that evening from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and qualifying rounds will stretch across May 28 to 31. The finals are scheduled for May 31 from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., followed by the closing ceremony and awards from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. That kind of compressed, venue-specific format rewards teams that can arrive prepared and stay sharp for four straight days.

There is also a bigger calendar story here. FPV Storerc says Ningbo will be the second time the Drone Racing World Cup has been held in China, which gives the stop extra weight. FAI says 15 Drone Racing World Cup competitions from 13 countries are registered and planned for 2026, so Ningbo is not an isolated showcase. It is part of a global circuit that is becoming more structured and more visible, with China now back in the rotation as a host that matters.

Shenzhen is feeding that momentum from the industry side. The 2026 World UAV Conference and UASE exhibition is scheduled for May 21 to 23 at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, under the theme of the low-altitude economy. FPV Storerc says manufacturers such as CADDX will be on display there, and the company’s exhibitor profile describes it as founded in 2017 and a leading FPV and digital high-definition video-transmission player. For drone racing, that is not a side note. Better links, lower latency and cleaner video are the difference between a fast lap and a crash.

Changzhou adds another layer to the month, with the Open set to feature an Aerial F1 showdown. Put the pieces together and the picture is clear: Ningbo is becoming a championship venue, Shenzhen is becoming a technology hub, and China is building one of the most consequential FPV ecosystems on the 2026 map.