What is drone football

Two teams of five pilots, each flying a drone in a protective cage. Only one drone per team, the striker, can score.

Team
Five pilots on the pitch; a match can start with three. Each pilot flies one drone with a controller.
Striker
Only the striker drone can score. The rest defend their hoop and block the opponents.
Goal
The striker flies through the opponents' hoop, which hangs in the air at the end of the pitch.
Reset
After a goal the whole team flies back to its own half before attacking again.
Sets
A match is three 3-minute sets. Win two sets to win the match.
Penalties
If it's level, a shoot-out: three attempts per team, 10 seconds each.

Match logic follows FIDA rules. Exact values are set by each league's season regulations.

Engineering
students build, tune and repair their drones
Teamwork
roles, tactics and talking to each other mid-play
Safety
the cage covers the propellers and play happens inside a netted arena

Two leagues

The leagues differ by drone motor and level. Each has its own regulations, its own ranking and its own season stages.

Brushless drones

Top division

Fast brushless drones and a high tempo of play. For teams with tournament experience.

Brushed drones

Entry division

Reliable brushed drones that are easy to start with. For teams new to drone football.

Pro and Open compared

Moving from Open to Pro takes a new season registration and an equipment check. Open results don't carry over to the Pro ranking.

Age categories, roster size and entry conditions are published in the season regulations.

1, 2, 3

Kazakh students swept the podium in the team category for drones up to 20 cm: Kemel Bilim (Aktobe) and Schools No. 8 and No. 82 (Astana).

6 / 7

Kazakhstan's national teams finished 6th and 7th in two categories; a club team made the top 10.

TR, HK

Teams from Turkey came to the 2026 Open Cup.

Equipment
Pick a league: brushed drones for Open, brushless for Pro.
Team
An adult representative registers the school or club, creates the team and adds the roster.
Training
Train with open materials: drills, rules, videos.
Competition
Apply for a tournament, pass the check-in and take the arena.