Drone Football Pro League
Three pilots fly drones in protective spheres to score through the opposing hoop.
- Age
- 8–18 years
- Team
- 3–5 pilots, 1 adult team leader
- Final
- Up to 16 teams
Sections
3×3 format
1.1. The category uses brushless drones in a 3×3 format. Three pilots and three drones from each team are on the playing field at any one time; the roster comprises three to five pilots aged 8–18 and one adult team leader.
1.2. Before each set, the captain announces the three active pilots and one striker. Only the striker's drone may score goals. One pilot controls one aircraft; handing over a controller and participation of a fourth drone are prohibited. Reserves may replace active pilots only between sets, with the judge notified.
1.3. Three serviceable, approved drones and three pilots are required to start a match. Following a breakdown or sending-off, the current set continues with fewer players. If three ready pilots with equipment are unavailable before the next set, that set is forfeited, except where a sending-off remains in effect, in which case play continues with fewer players.
1.4. Each active pilot may present a primary drone and one spare drone. Drone and battery replacement is permitted only between sets. Spare aircraft in the holding area are stored with power disconnected.
Technical requirements
| Parameter | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Motors | Electric brushless motors, no more than four |
| Protective sphere | Diameter of 200–220 mm in the measurement cross-section; plastic or composite; a metal outer frame is prohibited |
| Flight mass | No more than 350 g including battery, protection, lights and markings |
| Protection | All components inside the sphere; each opening no greater than 150 cm²; a flat lower section no more than 20 mm high |
| Propellers | Non-metallic, no more than 76,2 mm, entirely within the protective enclosure |
| Power supply | No more than 4S; no more than 4,25 V per cell and 17,0 V for 4S; the manufacturer's limits must also be observed |
| Radio control | 2,4 GHz spread spectrum; a functioning failsafe and a separate motor-stop command accessible to the pilot |
| Striker | Rear lighting in the opponent's colour; other drones' rear colours must differ from one another, from the team colour and from the striker's colour |
2.1. Autonomous guidance, programmable game manoeuvres and automatic route correction based on coordinates or altitude are prohibited. Manual control with stabilisation and recovery modes after a fall that do not independently perform game actions are permitted.
2.2. Admission checks each aircraft's mass, dimensions, protection, power supply, markings, radio link and emergency stop. Scale resolution must be no greater than 0,1 g, and linear measuring tool resolution no greater than 1 mm. Exceeding a limit must not be rounded down. A design or power-supply change requires reinspection of the affected parameters.
Arena and tournament
3.1. The standard arena is 6×3×3 m, fully enclosed by netting on the sides and above. It has a centre line and identical starting zones at the short sides, no more than 1 m deep. The entrance is closed before the motors are switched on. Pilots stand outside the net at their respective short sides; coaches and reserves remain in the designated support area.
3.2. The two identical hoops have an internal diameter of 400 mm, an external diameter of 700 mm and a thickness no greater than 100 mm. The hoops face the centre and are fixed 1 m from the short sides; the lowest point of the inner opening is 2 m above the ground. Rigid elements are protected, and the goals must not swing.
3.3. Up to 16 teams are allocated by an open draw to a double-elimination bracket. A loss in the upper bracket moves the team to a predetermined place in the lower bracket; a second loss ends its participation. Byes are determined in the draw and do not count as played matches.
3.4. The winners of the upper and lower brackets play the grand final. A win by the upper-bracket team ends the tournament. If the lower-bracket team wins the first grand final, a second full match is played to determine I and II places. The loser of the lower-bracket final takes III place.
3.5. With two teams, matches are played until one team has two losses; III place is not awarded. With one admitted team, no competitive standings are contested. A forfeit counts as a loss in the bracket and is recorded as “TP” without fictitious goals.
3.6. The bracket, pairings, schedule and panel of judges are published before the first match. A team arrives in the holding area 10 minutes in advance. A five-minute wait is allowed after the official call; a forfeit may then be recorded. Organiser error or a delay in the preceding match is not considered a failure to appear.
3.7. A team is given at least 10 minutes between its matches and at least 15 minutes before a repeated grand final. A match may start earlier than the announced time only with both teams' consent.
Match, goals and winner
4.1. A match consists of three sets of three minutes each; all three are played even after one team has won twice, except in the case of technical termination or a safety decision. There are two–three minutes between sets for battery changes, repairs and pilot substitutions.
4.2. The winner of a coin toss chooses the side; sides remain unchanged throughout the match, except to remedy a confirmed external imbalance. Before a set, the judge checks the lineup, striker and colours, authorises preparation and gives the start signal after three–five seconds.
4.3. Taking off before the signal results in a restart and a penalty attempt for the opponent. Launching without permission, with the net open or with people inside the arena is prohibited.
4.4. If an external venue fault makes continuation impossible, the judge stops the set and orders it to be replayed in full. A team that directly causes the stoppage through its own violation may be awarded a loss in the set; the reason is entered in the record.
5 Goals, play and penalty attempts
5.1. A goal is the complete passage of the striker's entire drone through the opponent's hoop from the centre-facing side of the arena. Contact, partial or reverse passage, and passage by another drone do not constitute a goal. Passage by a non-striker through the opponent's hoop is not, in itself, penalised.
5.2. After a goal, all drones of the scoring team that remain in play must return completely to their own half, beyond the centre line. Until the return is complete, no new goal is counted, and a violation gives the opponent a penalty attempt.
5.3. If a drone cannot return, the pilot announces withdrawal from the set, switches off the motors and leaves the pilots' area. Once the judge confirms this, the drone is not counted for the return and may not re-enter that set. Impeding an opponent's return through permitted game play is allowed.
5.4. The striker may defend its own hoop and remain in its opening. Another drone may fly through its own hoop if it does not block an attack, but may not remain in it to defend. Prohibited defence within the opening gives the opponent a penalty attempt.
5.5. If the striker malfunctions, the captain may, once per set, request a stoppage to designate another striker from the remaining active pilots. The clock is stopped, all drones are landed, the former striker leaves the set and the new striker's markings are changed. The score and remaining time are retained; repairs and the introduction of a reserve drone during a set are not permitted.
5.6. Penalty attempts for game violations are taken after the set's regulation time using the remaining battery charge. The striker and one opposing defender participate; each attempt lasts 10 seconds and allows no more than one goal. The striker starts at the centre line on its own side, and the defender starts in its own starting zone. Attempt time is not included in the three minutes; the teams' penalties do not cancel each other out.
5.7. If the striker cannot safely make the attempt using the available approved equipment, the attempt is deemed unsuccessful. If no defender is ready, the attempt proceeds without one. Goals from penalty attempts count towards the score of the relevant set.
6 Match winner and ties
6.1. The team with more goals after penalty attempts wins the set; equal scores are recorded as a draw. Goals from different sets are not added to determine the match winner. Two set wins give victory.
6.2. If no team has won two sets after three sets, an additional set is played until the first goal, for a maximum of three minutes. This rule also applies to a set score of 1:0 with two draws. Battery changes are permitted before the additional set.
6.3. If the additional set is goalless, each team takes a series of five attempts, followed by one each until a team leads after an equal number of attempts. The attempt conditions are as in clause 5.6; battery changes are permitted before the series. The first team is determined by a draw. Available pilots take one attempt each before the cycle repeats; a pilot sent off for the rest of the match does not participate.
6.4. An attempt may be repeated in the event of confirmed external interference or a significant procedural error. An ordinary breakdown or unsuccessful attack does not entitle a team to a repeat. The series result is recorded separately from goals in the regulation sets.
6.5. If a match is permanently stopped and cannot be safely completed, the number of sets won is taken into account; if this is equal and a winner must be determined, a coin toss is used in accordance with F9A.8.6. The reason for termination is recorded; this procedure does not replace the normal tie-breaking procedure in clauses 6.2–6.4.
Sanctions
| Violation | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Early take-off, a return violation, prohibited defence in one's own hoop | A penalty attempt for the opponent; a goal scored with a return violation is cancelled |
| An unauthorised person in the pilots' area, unjustified delay, minor unsporting behaviour | Warning; two warnings for the same reason in a match result in a yellow card |
| Pilot substitution during a set, deliberately moving a drone by hand, deliberate contact with a person or grounded drone, serious unsporting behaviour | Yellow card; the responsible pilot is sent off for the rest of the set without replacement |
| Two yellow cards for a team in a match, an unregistered pilot, exceptionally gross or dangerous behaviour | Red card; the responsible pilot is sent off for the rest of the match without replacement |
| Equipment fraud, deliberately dangerous actions, a serious breach of sporting integrity | A reasoned disqualification decision following review by the committee |
7.1. If the responsible pilot cannot be identified, the captain names the pilot who will leave the set or match. Ordinary warnings and cards do not carry over to the next match; a disqualification decision remains in effect. A red card for one pilot does not, in itself, mean an automatic loss for the entire team.
7.2. The match judge, two goal judges and a secretary monitor goals, returns, time and sanctions. An additional observer is appointed if visibility is inadequate. A judge must not officiate a match involving their own team.
7.3. The record lists lineups and strikers by set, scores before and after penalty attempts, cards, stoppages, the winner and the time the result was communicated. The captain may review it; refusal to sign is noted and does not prevent publication.
7.4. A protest must be submitted within 10 minutes under section 6 of the Regulations. Video is considered by the committee after the match, not as mandatory video review during play. A dependent match must not begin until a timely protest is decided.
Safety
8.1. A pilot must stop flying immediately if the sphere is damaged, the battery falls out, dangerous vibration occurs or control is lost. Entry into the arena and retrieval of drones are permitted only after all propellers have stopped. Deliberate radio jamming and switching on transmitters outside the established procedure are prohibited.
8.2. Permitted drone contact is part of game play. Striking people, interference by hand, damaging others' equipment outside a game incident and flying outside the enclosure are prohibited.
FAI framework
8.3. The technical and game framework is the FAI Sporting Code, Section 4, Volume F9 Drone Sports, 2026 Edition, Version 2, effective from 1 June 2026, class F9A-B. Brushless motors, the fixed bracket, the detailed tie-breaking procedure and procedural deadlines are Drone Football Pro League conditions for RoboZerde.
8.4. Use of this framework does not claim that RoboZerde is included in the official FAI calendar, is accredited or awards international titles. No separate FAI licence is required for this Championship. Changes to the external document do not apply automatically.
8.5. Official source of the technical framework: https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/CIAM-F9-Drones-2026-06-01.pdf. The fixed edition specified in clause 8.3 is used.