The fleet is locked for Red Bull King of the Air 2026, with defending champions Lorenzo Casati and Nathalie Lambrecht heading the confirmed entry list for the main event at Kite Beach in Bloubergstrand, Cape Town.
Organisers confirmed the lineup on 5 November 2026 ahead of the official weather window running from 21 November to 6 December 2026. The contest brings 18 riders to the Open Division and six to the Women's Division, selected through podium finishes from the 2025 event, qualifier victories, and a combined judging of the online video contest and qualifier rankings.
The Open Division Lineup
Lorenzo Casati enters the 2026 window aiming to defend his title. In 2025, he secured his second King of the Air win with 34.02 points in a 15-minute, three-rider final. His younger brother Leonardo Casati scored 31.12 points on his event debut to take second place, becoming the youngest finalist in event history at 16 years, five months, and 16 days. Cohan van Dijk completed that podium with 27.18 points.
All three earned automatic pre-selection, alongside Taiwan Qualifier winner Hugo Wigglesworth, who makes his King of the Air debut after winning a typhoon-hit final in Hsinchu. The remaining spots went to a combined evaluation of video entries and qualifier results:
- Zac Adams (United States)
- Timo Boersema (Netherlands)
- Jeremy Burlando (Spain)
- Luca Ceruti (South Africa)
- Maxwell Dahl (Denmark)
- Josué San De Carvalho (Brazil)
- Finn Flügel (Germany)
- Clement Huot (France)
- Marten Koblischke (Germany)
- Jamie Overbeek (Netherlands)
- Yücel Paralik (Turkey)
- Parker Sage (United States)
- Shahar Tsabary (Portugal)
- Jason van der Spuy (South Africa)
Home-nation representation includes Ceruti, who finished third in 2024 as the first South African on the podium, and van der Spuy.
Women's Division and the Final Challenger Spot
Nathalie Lambrecht returns to defend the crown she won in 2025, when she defeated Zara Hoogenraad by 0.55 points (26.92 to 26.37). Hoogenraad returns via the combined selection, joined by 2024 champion Francesca Maini and Sarah Sadek.
Alessa Sophia Mensch secured her direct entry by winning the Taiwan Qualifier, taking the win on her first session back from a long injury layoff.
The sixth and final place in the Women's fleet will be decided on site through a Challenger Round between three competitors:
- Lana Herman (Slovenia, third in 2025 with 23.73 points)
- Aya Kasabova (Bulgaria)
- Mikaili Sol (Brazil)
The fleet comes from four routes: riders pre-selected from last year s results, the winners in Taiwan, a combined selection built from the video contest and the Taiwan Qualifier ranking, and the Challenger Round.
How the 2026 Fleet Was Selected
With only one qualifier staged this season in Taiwan compared to three in the previous cycle, event organisers placed heavier emphasis on the live competition rankings alongside the international video entry process. Sportive Director Sergio Cantagalli noted that the standard of video productions submitted to the judging panel showed higher technical execution and riding level across the board, pairing live pressure results with judged clip entries.
The event remains on standby throughout the late November and early December window, waiting for the classic combination of southeast wind and Atlantic swell at Kite Beach. The contest will stream live on Red Bull TV with free public spectator access on the beach.
