One of the most attractive parts of this year's exhibition is the Drone ARENA Soccer Cup 2026 – the first international drone football competition in Bulgaria.
10 teams from 7 countries arrived in Sofia – Bulgaria, Germany, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Croatia, Romania and Turkey. The competition is part of the official FAI Drone Soccer International Series 2026 of the World Federation of Aerial Sports.
The discipline itself resembles futsal in the air. Two teams face each other with three active pilots each, who control special 20-centimeter drone balls in a protected arena. The goal is to score goals with precise piloting. Each team can include up to five players and a coach.
The actual group phase begins on October 7, and the eliminations and finals are on October 8.
A parallel youth Student Cup category is also planned, in which 20-centimeter drone balls are again used, and the matches last two minutes.