A new chapter in Saudi Arabia’s drone racing journey has its first champion.
After a multi week qualification campaign, hours of simulator racing, and a final stage featuring four finalists, Mariyah Sulaiman Alhenaki has been crowned the Saudi Drone Champions League 2026 Champion.
The result marks the conclusion of the first Saudi DCL championship – a competition created by Drone Champions League (DCL) and Tuwaiq Academy to introduce university students across the Kingdom to competitive FPV drone racing through technology, simulation, training and competition.
Using the official DCL – The Game simulator, participants competed in a fully virtual league set within a digital twin environment of AlUla, developing their flying skills remotely while their best performances determined who progressed through the championship.
What began as an opportunity to discover new talent ultimately became a race for one title.
The Saudi DCL journey brought students from universities across Saudi Arabia into the same virtual racing environment.
Participants learned the fundamentals of FPV flight and competed on the official DCL platform through a qualification phase that rewarded speed, consistency and improvement. With repeated attempts available during qualifying, every lap offered another opportunity to climb the standings.
By the end of qualification, four pilots had earned their place in the Saudi DCL Finals:
Mariyah Sulaiman Alhenaki — “Mariyah”
Afnan Saleh Alroaished — “AF”
Mabkhot Shamsan Ali Shamsan — “mbkhwtshmsan90”
Nasayem Fawaz Alosaimi — “nyyit7004”
From there, qualification times no longer mattered.
It was time to race.
The Saudi DCL Finals took place on 27 August 2026, with the finalists competing in a head-to-head elimination format.
As the top qualifier, Mariyah entered the first Semi–Final against Nasayem Fawaz Alosaimi.
Mariyah immediately showed the pace that had taken her to the top of qualifying, recording race times of 40.330 seconds and 36.179 seconds. Her combined Semi Final time of 1:16.509 secured her place in the Grand Final.
The second Semi Final brought together Afnan Saleh Alroaished and Mabkhot Shamsan Ali Shamsan.
Afnan produced the stronger performance across the two heats,and earning the second place in the championship showdown.
The final was set:
Mariyah vs. Afnan.
With the Saudi DCL title on the line, Mariyah carried her qualifying pace into the Grand Final.
She completed the opening heat in 41.849 seconds before going even faster in Heat 2 with a 37.612 second run.
Her combined Grand Final time of 1:19.461 secured the victory and made Mariyah Sulaiman Alhenaki the Saudi DCL 2026 Champion.
Afnan Saleh Alroaished finished as runner– up, while Mabkhot Shamsan Ali Shamsan completed the championship in third position.
Position | Pilot | Result |
1st | Mariyah Sulaiman Alhenaki — “Mariyah” | Saudi DCL 2026 Champion |
2nd | Afnan Saleh Alroaished — “AF” | Runner-up |
3rd | Mabkhot Shamsan Ali Shamsan — “mbkhwtshmsan90” | Third Place |
4th | Nasayem Fawaz Alosaimi — “nyyit7004” | Fourth Place |
Saudi DCL was created not only as a competition, but as a pathway into the wider world of drone technology and FPV racing.
Through the collaboration between Drone Champions League and Tuwaiq Academy, university students were introduced to a competitive environment combining digital skills, aviation technology, simulation and sport. Tuwaiq Academy describes the initiative as an opportunity for students to learn drone control fundamentals, gain practical experience using professional simulation tools and discover emerging talent within universities.
The initative also builds on a broader collaboration between DCL and Tuwaiq Academy. Earlier in 2026, Riyadh hosted the opening of the Tuwaiq Drones Hub and DCL’s 2026 Season Opener, establishing another connection between the international DCL ecosystem and Saudi Arabia’s growing drone community.
Saudi DCL takes that relationship one step further: putting emerging Saudi pilots at the centre of a competitive drone racing experience.
And for the programme, this first championship is only the beginning.
The Saudi DCL journey culminated in Riyadh during LEAP 2026, where the competition and its finalists were celebrated together with Tuwaiq Academy and DCL.
The moment marked the conclusion of the first Saudi DCL championship, from students discovering FPV racing through the simulator to finalists competing for the national title.
For Mariyah, that journey ended at the top of the podium.
For Saudi DCL, it marks the beginning of what comes next.
The full Saudi Drone Champions League episode will premiere on the Drone Champions League YouTube channel on Saturday, 5 September 2026.
Follow the journey from qualification to the Finals and see how Saudi Arabia’s emerging FPV talent competed for the inaugural Saudi DCL title.
Subscribe to DCL on YouTube and watch the premiere on 5 September.
Who won the Saudi Drone Champions League 2026?
Mariyah Sulaiman Alhenaki won the Saudi Drone Champions League 2026, becoming the inaugural Saudi DCL Champion.
When was the Saudi DCL 2026 Final held?
The Saudi DCL 2026 Final was held on 27 August 2026.
Who organised Saudi DCL 2026?
The Saudi Drone Champions League was created by Drone Champions League (DCL) together with Tuwaiq Academy.
How did the Saudi DCL competition work?
Participants first competed through a simulator-based qualification phase using DCL – The Game. The four highest-performing pilots progressed to the Finals, where they competed through a head-to-head elimination format.
Who were the four Saudi DCL 2026 finalists?
The finalists were Mariyah Sulaiman Alhenaki, Afnan Saleh Alroaished, Mabkh ot Shamsan Ali Shamsan and Nasayem Fawaz Alosaimi.
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