Kazakhstan's Alikhan Nsanbayev, 12, Takes Fifth at World Drone Championship in Dallas

A schoolboy reaches the final against an international field

Twelve-year-old Alikhan Nsanbayev from Uralsk, Kazakhstan, finished fifth at the MultiGP World Championship 2026 in Dallas, reaching a final of 12 pilots after a selection process involving 830 athletes from 44 countries. He also helped Kazakhstan take fifth place in a separate international drone soccer competition in Long Beach.

The Orken institution's announcement says 69 pilots qualified from the field of 830 before the qualifying flights produced the 12 finalists. Those figures mean roughly one in 12 athletes reached the group of 69, showing how selective the route to the final was.

Alikhan trains at Uralsk's Regional Center for Technical Creativity and competes for Team Aspan. His result connects a local children's technology programme with an international sport in which quick decisions, precise control and equipment preparation all matter.

Alikhan described the experience in comments given in Kazakh, recalling both the difficulty of the competition and the friendships he made with older competitors.

I took first place at the national competition in March and got the opportunity to go to the United States. At the world championship, I made it into the 12 finalists and finished fifth. It is difficult to put my feelings into words. My opponents were very strong.

What happened on the course?

Drone racing is a speed contest in which pilots guide small aircraft through a course of obstacles. Alikhan uses special goggles that show the view from his drone, allowing him to steer as though he were looking out from the aircraft itself.

A pilot has to choose a route, judge distances and turn at the right moment while moving quickly. Speed alone is not enough: the drone must also pass accurately through the course. Alikhan said competitors from South Korea and Japan made a particularly strong impression on him.

Alikhan said those competitors were 21 or 22, around a decade older than him. The age gap became part of his experience of meeting other pilots, rather than simply a measure of the challenge.

The skill of the athletes from South Korea and Japan especially impressed me. They are 21 or 22, much older than me. Despite that, we got to know each other during the competition and became friends.

His fifth place followed several stages of selection. First came qualification for the championship, then the flights that determined the final group, and finally his position among the 12 finalists.

From a club in 2022 to a national qualifying victory

Alikhan began attending the drone club in 2022. His interest grew as he moved from learning the controls to flying faster machines and competing.

He said he spent five to six months preparing for this championship. Coach Aibek Mirgaliyev described a longer process, saying systematic training and selection for international competition had begun two years earlier. The shorter period describes preparation for this particular event within that wider programme.

The main steps in his progress were:

• 2022: Alikhan joined the club and began learning to fly drones.
• Two years before the current championship: systematic preparation and selection for international competition began, according to Mirgaliyev.
• March 2026: Alikhan won a national competition and earned the opportunity to compete in the United States.
• 2026: He reached the 12-pilot final in Dallas and finished fifth.

Orken identifies his qualifying competition as the Kazakhstan Drone Championship & Cup. It was organised by the Ministry of Enlightenment's Republican Educational and Methodological Center for Additional Education together with the Aspandrone association, with support from Dronly Ltd.

Those organisations also helped arrange Kazakhstan's participation in the international drone soccer competition. For the schoolchildren, the national contest provided a route from domestic competition to events abroad.

A second fifth place in Long Beach

Kazakhstan's national team finished fifth among 16 teams from six countries at the USA Drone Soccer International Cup 2026 in Long Beach. Alikhan was one of four schoolchildren named in the squad, alongside Nauryzbek Yessetov, Aldiyar Bauyrzhan and Altair Abilgaziyev.

The players came from Uralsk and Atyrau. Their result placed Kazakhstan in the leading third of the 16 teams, giving the delegation a team achievement alongside Alikhan's individual racing result in Dallas.

Drone soccer and drone racing involve different equipment and ways of competing. Mirgaliyev explained that the aircraft differ in size and control method. Alikhan flies racing drones using goggles, while the soccer players use handheld controllers.

The two results therefore reflect experience in two branches of drone sport. One involved Alikhan's individual performance through racing qualification and a final; the other depended on Kazakhstan's performance as a team.

The coaches behind the two competitions

Orken names Kaisar Yessengali and Andrey Tishin as Alikhan's coaches in connection with his training at the regional technical creativity centre and his participation in Team Aspan.

The national drone soccer squad was prepared by Kaisar Yessengali, Nurbol Kyrykbayev, Didar Sakhratov and Alexandr Shimanovskiy. Yessengali appears in both groups, linking the preparation for the individual and team events.

Mirgaliyev, who discussed Alikhan's development and the club's teaching methods, said this was not the boy's first international appearance. According to the coach, Alikhan also competed at a world championship the previous year and finished second. The category for that earlier result and the exact dates of the 2026 United States competitions were not specified.

At Astana International Airport, Minister of Enlightenment Zhuldyz Suleimenova welcomed the returning students. She congratulated them and thanked their parents and coaches, recognising the adults whose support helped make the trip possible.

Learning to build the machine as well as fly it

Students at the club begin on simulators, which let them practise controlling a virtual aircraft before moving to a physical drone. They then learn on small drones and later progress to larger machines used for racing.

That sequence gives beginners time to become familiar with steering and movement before handling faster equipment. The children also learn to assemble and adjust drones, adding practical technical work to their flight training.

Mirgaliyev said Alikhan can prepare his own aircraft as well as pilot it. The coach described the club as a place where children learn how the equipment works, rather than only how to operate its controls.

Alikhan can adjust and control the drone himself. In clubs like this, children learn not just to control an unmanned aircraft, but also to assemble it. This develops their patience, attention and logical thinking.

For a young competitor, those tasks make preparation broader than repeated flights. Flying practice develops control, while assembly and adjustment require the student to understand the machine being flown.

Rural pupils join the regional training network

The club teaches children from Uralsk and pupils from the region's 12 district centres, including children from rural communities. Its reach extends beyond the city where Alikhan trains.

Mirgaliyev said interest in drone sport is growing each year. Regional competitions give pupils opportunities to practise competing and improve their skills before seeking places at larger events.

Orken says Kazakhstan holds drone sports competitions at regional and national levels to identify talented schoolchildren and develop engineering thinking, interest in robotics and familiarity with modern technology. Alikhan's national qualifying victory shows how that structure can lead to an international place.

Mirgaliyev also pointed to uses for drone skills in agriculture, security, medicine and filmmaking. His argument is that the value of learning the technology extends beyond sporting results: pupils gain experience with equipment and controls that also have uses at work.

A world title is the next ambition

Alikhan's stated sporting goal is to become a world champion. He has not yet decided what profession he wants to pursue, leaving his immediate ambition focused on competition.

His preference is already clear within the sport. He enjoys the speed of racing drones and the visual excitement of a race, an interest that has grown since his first visit to the club.

Describing why he continued training, Alikhan said:

I like racing fast drones. Racing drones are much faster than ordinary drones and simulators. I first came to the club in 2022. Gradually, my interest grew, and I began practising this sport. Drone racing is both beautiful and very fast.

Dallas gave him a fifth place against an international field; Long Beach added a fifth place with Kazakhstan's team. His next challenge is to build on those results while continuing the technical training that began at a local club.

Key Points

• Alikhan Nsanbayev, 12, finished fifth in the 12-pilot final at the MultiGP World Championship 2026 in Dallas.
• Orken says 69 pilots qualified from 830 athletes representing 44 countries.
• Alikhan earned his international place through the Kazakhstan Drone Championship & Cup.
• Kazakhstan also finished fifth among 16 teams from six countries at the drone soccer tournament in Long Beach.
• Alikhan trains in Uralsk, competes for Team Aspan and hopes to become a world champion.