Kazakhstani Schoolchildren Win First Place at Drone Soccer Championship in the USA
Students from Astana and Aktobe outperformed rivals from 17 countries and took top positions in two disciplines.
Palm Springs, California - The international FIDA USA Drone Soccer Championship was held from 30 April to 2 May in Palm Springs, California. More than 100 teams from 17 countries took part in the tournament. Kazakhstan sent five teams to the competition - four from the capital and one from Aktobe. The students returned home this Monday with gold medals in two championship disciplines.
In the individual Super Pilot discipline, first place was taken by Amantay Arsen, a ninth-grade student at School No. 8 in Astana. Under the guidance of coach Zhanibek Razhabov, Arsen managed to outperform his rivals in one of the most technically demanding disciplines of the championship.
Second place went to Khayraolla Aisultan, an eighth-grade student at School No. 82 in the capital, coached by Dinmukhamed Orynbasar.
In the Drone Soccer Class 20 team event, Kazakhstani schoolchildren swept the entire podium. First place went to the Kemel Bilim team from Aktobe, coached by Amangos Yelman Baurzhanuly. Second place went to School No. 8 from Astana, and third to School No. 82.
The teams prepared for the championship for more than a year. Prior to travelling to the United States, they underwent an official national selection process in Astana, and their application to participate in the American tournament had to be defended before the international federation FIDA.
"As representatives of the Association in Kazakhstan, we worked long and hard on the application to compete in the US, because we had seen what our students were capable of and knew they could make their mark on the international stage. For me, this is one of the first truly major international victories for Kazakhstani drone soccer. I am immeasurably proud of every student and every coach," said Alikhan Ryspay, Director of the Kazakhstan Drone Soccer Association.
Across the two categories, Kazakhstani teams delivered outstanding results. In Class 20 - drones of up to 20 centimetres - they swept the entire podium, claiming all three medal positions among 17 countries. In Class 40, where the drones are twice the size, they recorded the best overall performance across all events.
Background: Drone soccer is a team technology sport in which participants pilot drones enclosed in a protective sphere and attempt to score a "goal" by flying through the opponent's ring. Matches are played in a 5 versus 5 format: one attacking pilot (striker) and four defenders. The key elements are team coordination, manoeuvring in confined spaces, and high piloting precision.
Competitions are divided into classes based on drone size. The most common are Class 20 (sphere diameter 20 cm) and Class 40 (40 cm). The smaller the drone, the greater the demands on piloting accuracy.
The Kazakhstan Drone Soccer Association was established in 2024 following the signing of a memorandum of cooperation for the development of drone soccer in Kazakhstan jointly with FIDA at DRONE EXPO Korea 2024 in Incheon, Republic of Korea. The Association's Director is Alikhan Ryspay.
The Kazakhstan Drone Soccer Association is developing the sport in the country in a systematic manner: launching school programmes, organising national tournaments, and bringing Kazakhstani schoolchildren onto the international stage.
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