Romania Confirms Its International Status at World Best Pigeon 2026

The 2026 edition of the prestigious international championship World Best Pigeon (WBP), organized under the auspices of the International Pigeon Federation, once again reconfirmed the top position of Romanian pigeon sport in the world rankings, as breeders from our country managed to stand out in an extremely selective competitive environment, where only pigeons that achieved top performances in the national championships of each affiliated federation are nominated.

Held annually since 2019, the WBP championship is one of the most demanding international competitions, as the evaluation system is based on the cumulative penalty coefficient obtained from a limited number of races, each category having distinct requirements depending on distance, number of races and degree of difficulty, which often makes the differences between positions a matter of mere hundredths.

Competition Structure

The WBP categories are designed to cover the entire competitive spectrum of modern pigeon racing. They are as follows:
Speed (5 races, 100–400 km), Middle Distance (4 races, 300–600 km), Long Distance (3 races over 500 km), Youngster (3 races over 100 km), Yearling (5 races over 100 km), All Round (a combination of short-, middle- and long-distance races), Marathon (2 races between 700–900 km) and Super Marathon (2 races over 900 km).

Speed – World Title for Florin Lăzărică

In the Speed category, Romania wins the world title through Florin Lăzărică (Bucharest Branch), whose hen RO-2023-1271722 achieved an outstanding penalty coefficient of 2.55, managing to prevail in a ranking that included 83 nominated pigeons from 29 countries, including nations with the strongest sprinting traditions such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

In the same category, the Romanian presence was completed by Iulian Oprea (Bucharest), who ranked 13th and 20th worldwide, proving consistency in an extremely tight classification.

Long Distance – Collective Performance

In the Long Distance category, where consistency and endurance are decisive, Romanian breeders achieved a remarkable overall performance: Iacob, Gabi & Costică (Suceava) – 2nd place worldwide, Frații Bușe (Mehedinți) – 3rd place worldwide, while Nicu-Petrică Florea (Iași) ranked just off the podium in 4th place worldwide, confirming that the Romanian long-distance school is at a level comparable to that of Europe’s leading lofts.

Youngster – Romanian Supremacy

The Youngster category was dominated by Victor Burghiu (Gorj), national champion in the 2025 season, who also managed to secure the world title with an Olympiad pigeon that accumulated a coefficient of 0.62, a result that withstood the challenge of renowned breeders from the Netherlands and Belgium.

In second place worldwide ranked Nicolae-Valentin Staicu (Prahova), while his second nominated pigeon took 8th place, highlighting both the value of the line and the consistency of the results.

All Round – Another Podium Finish

In an extremely complex category that requires performance across different distances, Ion Lucian (Caraș) obtained 3rd place worldwide with the hen RO-2023-0303342, being surpassed only by pigeons from Poland and Portugal, yet managing to outperform numerous competitors from federations with strong traditions.

Additionally, Eugen Firicioiu and Alexandru Popescu (Dolj) ranked 15th and 16th respectively, out of a total of 64 pigeons, a result that completes Romania’s consistent presence in this category.

Super Marathon – Historic Achievement

The most demanding category, Super Marathon, brought Romania a historic result, as the entire world podium was Romanian, through: Alexandru Bugeag, Măgirescu + Ojog + Dorneanu, and Marcelin Șoloț.

The fact that breeders from the Netherlands, France and Belgium — countries that host legendary races such as Barcelona, St. Vincent and Pau — ranked immediately behind them, gives this achievement additional weight and proves that the level of Romanian pigeon sport is fully comparable with that of the traditional powerhouse nations.

Other Top Rankings

Besides the podium results, Romania also recorded other notable classifications:

Yearling – Brîncuși + Mladin (Gorj), 4th place worldwide

Marathon – Dragoș Rîbalcă (Buzău), 5th place; Aurel & Alin Novac (Vrancea), 6th place; Cardei Mircea & Furlan (Suceava), 9th place

Conclusion

By reaching the podium in 4 of the 8 categories, with 3 world champions and 2 vice world champions, Romania consolidates its position in the elite of international pigeon racing, and the results obtained at World Best Pigeon 2026 represent a solid argument for looking with optimism toward the next edition of the Pigeon Olympiad.