VFWCPR 2026 By The Numbers. The Stats That Defined the Season.

Germany Wins the Season. Not Just the Final.

The headline from Race 10 was Guenter Goetz winning the Final by 15 minutes. The deeper story is that Germany dominated the entire 2026 season across every category. Martin Hetzel's 'Mittwoch' won both the Grand Average and Super Ace championships. Klaus Wuestefeld finished 3rd in the Grand Average. Three German entries placed in the Grand Average top 20. The Final Race result confirmed what the standings had been suggesting all season — Germany arrived at Victoria Falls in 2026 with the strongest team of any nation.

The Championship Standings. Where the Season Was Won.

Grand Average Top 10

Super Ace Top 10

Elite Competition Top 10

The Elite Competition is a season-long contest where each fancier selects up to seven pigeons, and the combined performances of their best three birds in Hotspots 3, 4, 5 and the Final determine their score. The fancier whose Elite Group accumulates the most points across these races is crowned the Elite Competition Champion.

The Final Race Top 100. Who Really Performed.

1611 pigeons were basketed for the Final. The top 100 arrivals tell a story that goes far beyond the podium.

Fanciers With Multiple Pigeons in the Final Race Top 100

Anton Schonken (South Africa) 5 pigeons 13th, 28th, 82nd, 83rd, 85th

Ummbirka Loft (Qatar) 5 pigeons 21st, 37th, 60th, 61st, 75th.

Jelle Jellema (Netherlands) 4 pigeons 5th, 56th, 59th, 95th

Wouters Michel and Michel Debecker (Belgium) 4 pigeons 9th, 34th, 70th, 77th

Willie Munnik (South Africa) 3 pigeons 33rd, 53rd, 78th

Werner A. Waldow and Silvia Thiel (Germany) 2 pigeons 18th, 22nd

Team Tom Van Gaver and Alberto Abajo (Belgium) 2 pigeons 10th, 12th

Klaus Wuestefeld (Germany) 2 pigeons 19th, 92nd

Thomas Pahnke (Germany) 2 pigeons 69th, 76th

Bader AlJewessry (Kuwait) 2 pigeons 8th, 97th

Henri Van Venroij (Netherlands) 2 pigeons 49th, 72nd

Marnes Nel (South Africa) 2 pigeons 63rd, 86th

Loutjie and Ina Korff (South Africa) 2 pigeons 41st, 89th

Korte Joe (Germany) 2 pigeons 51st, 100th

Karoo Million (South Africa) 2 pigeons 88th, 94th

The Standout Team Performance

Anton Schonken and Ummbirka Loft both placed five pigeons in the Final Race top 100 — the joint strongest team performances of the race. For Ummbirka Loft this came despite their best individual arrival being 21st — depth over brilliance. For Anton Schonken his best was 13th — combining a strong individual result with four further top 100 placements.

Team Tom Van Gaver and Alberto Abajo placed back to back at 10th and 12th — the tightest double placement of any loft in the Final Race top 100.

Countries in the Final Race Top 100

South Africa led all nations with the most entries in the Final Race top 100 followed by Germany and Belgium. Seven countries placed pigeons inside the top 10. The Final Race top 100 featured fanciers from more than 20 nations — a result that reflects the truly global reach of the Victoria Falls World Challenge.

Fanciers With Multiple Entries in the Grand Average Top 100

Ummbirka Loft (Qatar) 8 pigeons 2nd, 8th, 36th, 49th, 57th, 70th, 74th, 86th

Wouters M and M Debecker (Belgium) 5 pigeons 10th, 11th, 51st, 83rd, 90th

Anton Schonken (South Africa) 4 pigeons 20th, 44th, 68th and one further entry

Ameen Al Baghly (Kuwait) 4 pigeons 12th, 38th, 81st, 87th

Martin Hetzel (Germany) 3 pigeons 1st, 77th, 95th

Marnes Nel (South Africa) 3 pigeons 28th, 39th, 88th

Thomas Pahnke (Germany) 2 pigeons 37th, 48th

Team Tom Van Gaver and Alberto Abajo (Belgium) 2 pigeons 4th, 50th

Murray and Mills and Mountain Lofts (South Africa) 2 pigeons 21st, 91st

Jason Brown (Zimbabwe) 2 pigeons 18th, 97th

Gys Louw (South Africa) 2 pigeons 58th, 85th

Team Oberholster (South Africa) 2 pigeons 67th, 84th

Cagla and Ezgi (Turkey) 2 pigeons 79th, 80th

Ali Almaea (Kuwait) 2 pigeons 52nd, 53rd

Quintina Pigeons (Belgium) 2 pigeons 94th, 98th

Hash Family Loft (USA) 2 pigeons 65th, 92nd

Key Stat

Ummbirka Loft placed eight individual pigeons in the Grand Average top 100 across 24 races. No other loft came close to that level of season long consistency. South Africa led all nations with 20 entries in the Grand Average top 100.

Fanciers With Multiple Entries in the Super Ace Top 100

Ummbirka Loft (Qatar) 9 pigeons 4th, 14th, 19th, 34th, 43rd, 44th, 64th, 77th,98th

Marnes Nel (South Africa) 4 pigeons 15th, 27th, 46th, 62nd

Wouters Michel and Michel Debecker (Belgium) 4 pigeons 10th, 49th, 54th, 100th

Jelle Jellema (Netherlands) 4 pigeons 28th, 76th, 83rd and one further entry

Ganus Family Loft (USA) 4 pigeons 68th, 70th, 75th, 97th

Anton Schonken (South Africa) 3 pigeons 5th, 37th, 88th

Team Tom Van Gaver and Alberto Abajo (Belgium) 3 pigeons 2nd, 31st, 90th

Loft Einkamerer (South Africa) 3 pigeons 42nd, 81st, 95th

Kaidi Family Loft (Morocco) 3 pigeons 61st, 73rd, 79th

Martin Hetzel (Germany) 2 pigeons 1st, 80th

Great Old Pigeon Racers (Belgium) 2 pigeons 16th, 87th

Mike Diamond and Diamond Patricia (Philippines) 2 pigeons 17th, 93rd

Murray and Mills and Mountain Lofts (South Africa) 2 pigeons 11th, 78th

Gys Louw (South Africa) 2 pigeons 40th, 52nd

Hash Family Loft (USA) 2 pigeons 48th, 82nd

Jaco Buckle MDTC (South Africa) 2 pigeons 3rd, 84th

Team Oberholster (South Africa) 2 pigeons 51st, 91st

Koopman Racing Pigeons (Netherlands) 2 pigeons 89th, 99th

Key Stat

Ummbirka Loft placed nine pigeons in the Super Ace top 100 — the highest representation of any single loft across any standings category in the entire 2026 season. South Africa dominated with 28 entries in the Super Ace top 100 — the most of any nation. Marnes Nel placed four named pigeons in the Super Ace top 100 — 'Final Glory', 'Freedom Flyer', 'Follow the Light' and 'Grace Will Win' — the standout individual Super Ace performance of the season.

The One Stat That Summarises the 2026 Season

'Mittwoch' from Martin Hetzel won the Grand Average championship. Won the Super Ace championship. Finished 2nd in the Final Race. Placed 80th in the Super Ace with a second pigeon 'Juli'. Three entries in the Grand Average top 100. Two entries in the Super Ace top 100. One loft. One season. One complete performance that will be remembered at Victoria Falls for years to come.