[SCMP] Drone Soccer takes off in Hong Kong, as city team gears up for first World Cup

Team of eight heading to South Korea next week to take on best of the rest from 32 other countries and territories

Mike Chan Published: 8:00am, 21 Sep 2025

Crashing drones into each other at up to 100mph while attempting to pilot another through a hoop to score may not sound like sport, but for a pair of Hong Kong pupils it is a joy that will take them to a World Cup next week.

A mixture of skill, tactics and awareness, Drone Soccer has been gradually growing to the extent the global competition in South Korea will feature more than 2,500 players from 33 countries and places - Hong Kong included.

The city’s team ranges in age from 23 to just eight, and captain Chris Wu Shang-dong, a tennis fan who counts Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic among his sporting heroes, said the inclusivity was one of the things that attracted him to the game.