Alhenaki Wins First Saudi Drone Champions League Title

Mariyah Alhenaki became the first-ever Saudi Drone Champions League champion on 27 August 2026, winning the inaugural Season 1 title in a head-to-head final raced through a digital twin of AlUla. She earned the national crown after a multi-week qualification campaign that introduced university students across the Kingdom to competitive FPV drone racing.

A four-pilot final under the digital sky

The Saudi DCL Finals narrowed the field to four pilots: Alhenaki, Afnan Saleh Alroaished, Mabkhot Shamsan Ali Shamsan, and Nasayem Fawaz Alosaimi. Racing on the official DCL – The Game simulator, they competed in an elimination format over a virtual layout of AlUla.

The pace that carried the top qualifier

Alhenaki entered the first semi-final as the leading qualifier and faced Alosaimi. She recorded heats of 40.330 seconds and 36.179 seconds, producing a combined semi-final time of 1:16.509 that booked her place in the Grand Final without hesitation.

Afnan Saleh Alroaished won the second semi-final against Mabkhot Shamsan Ali Shamsan, setting a final showdown between Alhenaki and Alroaished. The title was now a straight contest between the two fastest pilots of the campaign.

Two heats, one crown

In the Grand Final, Alhenaki opened with a 41.849-second heat, then sharpened her line to deliver a 37.612-second second run. Her combined final time of 1:19.461 left no doubt, sealing the championship and making her the first name engraved on the Saudi DCL trophy.

The podium placed Alroaished as runner-up and Shamsan in third. Weeks of simulator hours, remote qualification, and a league created by Drone Champions League and Tuwaiq Academy had produced a national champion in a sport still new to the Kingdom.

The championship concluded publicly at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, where the finalists were celebrated alongside the organisations that built the pathway from discovery to the title. Alhenaki now stands as the baseline for every Saudi pilot who follows.