FAI World Drone Racing Championships: four editions found, 2018 to 2024.

A search summary of the FAI's drone sports page describes the World Drone Racing Championship as the biggest competition of its kind for elite drone racing pilots; the page itself could not be opened. At its April 2024 Plenary in Lausanne, the FAI's Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM) made F9U an official class, with World Championships in even years. Every result on this page is the FAI's own unless the text says otherwise. The FAI's results are never merged with those of MultiGP, the Drone Champions League or any other organiser, whatever those organisers call their own titles.

The editions

No championship was held between 2019 and 2023; the FAI numbers Namwon 2023 as the third edition. The FAI's World Cup page records that the CIAM Bureau suspended all aeromodelling events on 16 March 2020 because of COVID-19, and that no World Drone Racing Championship Grand Final was held at the end of 2020.

2018, Shenzhen

The first FAI championship was held at the Shenzhen Universiade Centre Stadium, with FAI news dated 4 November 2018. The FAI gives 127 pilots from 34 countries. Rudi Browning of Australia, aged 15, won, ahead of Bastian Hackl (Austria) and Karlis Gross (Latvia; the FAI page spells the first name "Karlie"). Australia won the team title ahead of Sweden and Korea. Wanraya Wannapong of Thailand, aged 11, was the top woman, and Oscar Nilsson of Sweden, 17, the top junior. Search summaries give the dates as 1 to 4 November 2018, which is unconfirmed.

The field and the winner's age are reported differently elsewhere. Wikipedia says over 128 competitors and a 17-year-old Australian winner. A search summary of a 2018 press report says Browning beat 127 other pilots, and search summaries give 128 pilots from 34 countries, including 44 juniors and 13 women. This page follows the FAI.

2019, Ningbo

The FAI's report of 14 December 2019 describes the Grand Final at a dedicated track in Xiangshan, Ningbo, from 11 to 14 December, with 112 pilots from 31 national teams. Changhyeon Kang of Korea, aged 16, won the overall and junior titles, ahead of Thomas Bitmatta (Australia, 20) and Killian Rousseau (France, 15). Korea won the team title, and Wanraya Wannapong (Thailand, 12) was the top woman.

2023, Namwon

The third edition ran over four days ending on 9 October 2023 in Namwon, Korea, as part of the World Drone Festa, with 115 pilots from 28 nations (FAI, 10 October 2023).

2024, Hangzhou

The fourth edition was held from 31 October to 3 November 2024 at the football stadium of the Shangcheng District Sports Center in Hangzhou, organised by the Aero Sports Federation of China. The FAI's announcement of 6 May 2024 set four categories: Overall Individual, Junior (under 18), Women and National Team. Each national team could enter up to five competitors, including at least one woman.

Wild cards went to the 2023 overall and junior champions, to the 16 best-placed pilots in the World Cup ranking from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024, to winners of World Cup contests with at least 40 competitors, and to individual Chinese pilots as hosts. The announcement names national-team selection and these wild cards as the routes in, and mentions no continental qualifying event.

The FAI's event page publishes the results as PDFs signed by the FAI Jury, with qualification, overall, junior, women and national-team classifications and a full results workbook. Italian trade press also reports Rizzo's women's title (search summary only).

The size of the field is given two ways. The FAI's preview of 29 October 2024 gives 111 racers from 32 nations. A search summary of the Model Aeronautical Association of Australia's news gives 107 competitors from 30 nations, with Australia seventh. The FAI results page read gives no total.

2025 and 2026

No 2025 World Drone Racing Championship was found. The FAI's drone sports page treats the drone racing at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu as its top drone racing event that year; see The World Games.

No 2026 World Drone Racing Championship was found either. Searches on 30 October 2026 surfaced no FAI announcement, host or dates, and a search summary of a cached FAI drone-sports listing showed no events in the World Championship category (CAT.1) alongside 2026 World Cup events. The FAI's main site returned errors, so its full 2026 calendar could not be read. That means a 2026 edition was not found, not that none exists.

Continental championships

No FAI continental drone racing championship, European, Asian, Oceanic or Pan-American, was found for 2024, 2025 or 2026, and none is described on these pages as one. That was not confirmed against the FAI's calendar. National championships are national events: a trade-press search summary, for example, says the Dutch championship selects the Dutch team for the FAI World Championship, which is unconfirmed. MultiGP's European Championship is a MultiGP event, not an FAI continental championship; see MultiGP championships.

Earlier events were also called world championships by their organisers or by the press, before the FAI held its own. Who used each label is set out on the world championship claims.