A Busy Season Ahead: Gliding Competitions to Watch in 2026
The 2026 northern hemisphere season is well underway, and the competition calendar holds something for pilots at every level, from club-class pilots looking for a competitive spring outing to those heading toward the highest level of international racing. With SoaringSpot tracking dozens of active contests across Europe and beyond, the range and volume of organised gliding this year is considerable. What follows covers the major events ahead, beginning with those already in progress and moving through to the headline championships of July and August.
Current Action: May
Events include the Kitzbühler Alps Cup at St. Johann in Tirol running from 30 April to 9 May with 31 competitors across two classes, the Velké Poříčí contest in Czechia from 28 April to 9 May with 43 competitors in two classes.
The sheer spread of activity is notable. Germany alone has multiple events running concurrently, including a four-class contest at Klix with 102 competitors that concluded at the start of May, and a two-class event at Scheuen with 30 competitors. For pilots unable to attend in person, SoaringSpot publishes registered competitor lists, daily task results, and scoring updates for all events as they unfold.
40th FAI World Gliding Championships — Częstochowa, Poland
16 – 30 May 2026
The 40th FAI World Gliding Championships for the Open, 18 Metre and 20 Metre Multi-seat classes will be held at Rudniki airfield near Częstochowa, in southern Poland. The event is organised by the Częstochowa Aeroclub and will bring together up to 120 competitors from Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
The Rudniki airfield has hosted major gliding events before, and the area in the Silesian uplands typically offers workable soaring weather in May, though early-season conditions can be variable. For those planning to attend as crew or spectators, Bulletin No. 1 covers the main schedule, fees, deadlines, accommodation, and logistics, and can be downloaded from the SoaringSpot event page for the Championships.
The entry fee is 1,000 euros, with aerotow costs at 80 euros per tow and self-launch fees at 10 euros. Those wanting to follow live results and task sheets during the event will find everything on the dedicated SoaringSpot page at soaringspot.com/en_gb/wgc2026.
As context for the competition's competitive landscape, the previous World Championships in Uvalde in 2024 produced the following results: in the 18m class, Stefan Langer took gold with Simon Schröder second and Christophe Abadie third; in the 20m Multi-seat class, Arnold and Striedieck won ahead of Rubaj and Matkowski; and in the Open class, Felipe Levin won ahead of Michael Sommer and Laurent Aboulin. Germany won the Team Cup ahead of France and Austria.
24th FAI European Gliding Championships — Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland
11 – 25 July 2026
The 24th FAI European Gliding Championships will take place at Ostrów Wielkopolski, organised by Aeroklub Ostrowski. The Championships cover the Club, Standard, and 15 Metre classes. Ostrów Wielkopolski hosted the 17th European Championships in 2013, so the venue has an established record with major gliding events. The Wielkopolska region of west-central Poland is flatland soaring territory, where convective days can produce long, fast tasks and where weather forecasting and start timing tend to be decisive factors.
Entry fees are set at 670 euros with aerotow costs at 60 euros per tow, keeping costs in line with comparable European championships.
14th FAI Junior World Gliding Championships — Aalen-Elchingen, Germany
1 – 15 August 2026
The 14th Junior World Gliding Championships for pilots under 26 will be held at Aalen-Elchingen in Germany, covering Club and Standard classes. More information is available at jwgc2026.org. Aalen-Elchingen is in Baden-Württemberg, with the Swabian Alb nearby providing thermal triggers and interesting task setting options. The Junior Championships have a long history of producing close racing and, in many cases, the pilots who go on to dominate senior-level competition in subsequent years.
Looking Further: 2027 and Beyond
For pilots already thinking past 2026, the calendar ahead includes the 14th FAI Women's World Gliding Championship, scheduled for 26 June to 10 July 2027 in Celje, Slovenia, the 4th Pan-American Gliding Championship at Rockton, Ontario in Canada from 29 July to 11 August 2027, and the 41st FAI World Gliding Championships at Rieti, Italy from 7 to 21 August 2027. Rieti is one of the classic soaring venues in Europe, with a long record as a world records location and a well-established competition infrastructure.
You can follow the races as they take place here at Gliding News
The full list of registered competitors, task results, and any updates to the above events can be found at soaringspot.com
