Vexcel Spain Drone Team wins Falcon Cup to open DCL 2026 campaign
Vexcel Spain survived the pressure bracket, then beat DCL Wildcard 42-28 in seven heats as Shturman led the Falcon Cup final with 29 points.
Vexcel Spain Drone Team turned the Falcon Cup’s pressure-heavy finals bracket into a clean statement, beating DCL Wildcard Team 42-28 across seven heats to win the first major Cup of the DCL 2026 season. Shturman, named Best Pilot of the Falcon Cup Finals with 29 points, set the tone for a team effort that never let the final swing back toward the field.
The Finals premiered on the official Drone Champions League YouTube channel on Sunday, July 12, 2026, after qualification episodes on June 30 and July 3 narrowed a six-team Falcon Cup field to four finalists. Vexcel entered as the top seed and immediately backed it up with a 21-9 quarterfinal win over Cyclone Drone Racing, a result that sent the Spanish team straight into the semifinals while forcing everyone else through the rebound path.
That bracket became the story of the day. DCL Wildcard Team opened with a 19-10 win over RAIDEN RACING, then Cyclone stayed alive by edging RAIDEN 16-13 in the rebound round and eliminating RAIDEN from title contention. Vexcel then handled DCL Wildcard 18-12 in the semifinals, before Wildcard answered with an 18-12 rebound semifinal over Cyclone to earn a second shot at the top seed. By the time the final rematch arrived, Vexcel had already shown it could win in both the direct and pressure-laden paths of the format.
What separated Vexcel was not just speed, but repetition under stress. The team kept the bracket from becoming chaotic, avoided the kind of costly missteps that can flip a finals night, and then delivered its most complete run when the title was on the line. In a seven-heat final, that steadiness mattered as much as raw lap pace, and Shturman’s 29-point haul made sure the winning margin stayed comfortable.
The victory also carries early championship weight. DCL’s 2026 season is built around three Cups, Falcon, Eagle and Hawk, followed by one Super Final, so the Falcon Cup was always more than a standalone trophy. Vexcel banked the maximum 10 points in the season standings, with DCL Wildcard on 8, Cyclone Racing on 7, RAIDEN Racing on 6, Aspan on 4 and Squadron78 on 3. The result mirrors the broader season launch in Riyadh on January 29, 2026, when DCL staged its first-ever real-life drone race in the Saudi capital at the Tuwaiq Drones Hub, with Danoob, RedSheep and BATO setting the opening order for the Cup chase.
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