You've gotta be Qiddiya-ing me
The 10 most anticipated 2026 coasters at parks beyond the U.S.
During the coaster war years of the 1990s and 2000s, parks and ride manufacturers engaged in a battle for height and speed supremacy that culminated with Kingda Ka, the 456-foot-tall, 128-mph behemoth that opened in 2005 at Six Flags Great Adventure. As they duked it out and rolled out ever-bigger thrill machines, I and others wondered how the war might end. Were there height and speed thresholds beyond which manufacturers couldn’t engineer, parks couldn’t afford, or humans couldn’t endure? When the one-upmanship more or less stopped (albeit, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi subsequently introduced the 149-mph Formula Rossa in 2010), the question seemed moot. As if to signal the end of the battle, Six Flags demolished Kingda Ka last year.
Then along came Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia, which annihilates all previous records.
With the flashy, new park, it would seem the coaster wars are heating up again; the theater of war, however, has shifted from America to the Middle East. Case in point: A few months ago, Miral, the company that operates Ferrari World, announced that the UAE park would be introducing a “significant and signature” coaster that will claim four world records. Might it challenge the records of Falcon’s Flight? Stay tuned, coaster fans.
I’ve already identified my picks for the top ten U.S. roller coasters debuting in 2026. Let’s keep the new ride rundown going by turning our attention to the ten most notable coasters coming to parks outside the U.S. No coaster is more notable than Falcon’s Flight. And some of Six Flags Qiddiya City’s other coasters are eye-popping as well.
Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia
The new Six Flags park, part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s wildly ambitious plan to welcome international tourists and diversify its oil-dependent economy, actually opened its gates in 2025. But since the official opening was held last week on the very last day of the year, it’s fair game for the 2026 coaster countdown.
Falcon’s Flight so thoroughly trounces all previous coasters, its manufacturer, Intamin, has given it a new designation: “Exa Coaster.” Its magnetically launched trains ascend to a height of 640 feet…which is 184 freakin’ feet taller than Kingda Ka. It drops 519 feet and hits a ferocious top speed of 155 mph, leaving Formula Rossa in its dust. Just shy of 14,000 feet, it’s about 6,000 feet longer–that’s over a mile or 71% more track–than the next-longest ride, Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land in Japan. With stats like those, Falcon’s Flight seems less like an actual coaster and more like a you-gotta-be-kidding-me RollerCoaster Tycoon simulation. Check out this dramatic, pyro-enhanced video of the coaster, which was the highlight of the park’s grand opening ceremony. Then ask yourself whether you’d take flight on this ride.
Iron Rattler at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia
Another one of the new-generation Vekoma Tilt Coasters, Iron Rattler takes passengers onto a dead-end section of track that teeter-totters 90 degrees and then leaves them dangling for a few nerve-wracking moments before it releases the train to navigate the rest of the course. At a height of 208 feet, a top speed of 73 mph, and five inversions, Iron Rattler is considerably more intense than recently opened tilt coasters, Siren’s Curse at Cedar Point and Circuit Breaker at COTALAND.
Spitfire at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia
In the figurative, if not literal shadow of Falcon’s Flight, Qiddiya City’s Spitfire may not be garnering much attention. But check out its mighty impressive stats: An Intamin swing launch coaster, it races forwards, ascends up a top hat tower part of the way, stalls out, and then accelerates backwards up its 240-foot-tall spike. After the train peters out, it drops forwards, engages the LSM motors a third time, and revs up to 79 mph, which gives it enough juice to make it up and over the 240-foot-tall top hat. Up to this point, Spitfire may sound like a mini version of Cedar Point’s Top Thrill 2. But it has more to offer. The train flips over and travels along the inside of the tower, making it the world’s tallest inversion and giving passengers one of the craziest upside-down coaster experiences ever devised.
Colossus at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia
The only wooden coaster at Qiddiya City, Colossus climbs 95 feet and accelerates to 50 mph. Built by Great Coasters International, it features Infinity Flyer trains.
Tecuani Beast at BON Luxury Theme Park in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
When BON Luxury Theme Park soft opens this year, adrenaline junkies will be heading to its most thrilling ride, Tecuani Beast. The Vekoma coaster will incorporate two launches and six inversions.
Ashara: Goddess of Fire at BON Luxury Theme Park in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
Details are sparse, but judging by the rendering, this switchback mine coaster from Vekoma will include plenty of themed elements.
Drakon at Paultons Park in England
The most thrilling coaster at Paulton’s Park, Drakon will be a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter that will include a vertical lift that will climb 75 feet, a beyond-vertical first drop, and two inversions (a first for the kid-centric park), including a zero-G stall. The ride will be the featured attraction in Valgard: Realm of the Vikings, a new land.
Zéphyr at Ange Michel in France
Another Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, Zéphyr’s vertical lift will take passengers up 98 feet , drop them at at a beyond-vertical 97-degree angle, rev up to 53 mph and include three inversions.
Giant Revolution at Lotte World Adventure Busan in South Korea
Lotte World will welcome the first Double Heart coaster from Zamperla. Designed to pack a lot of thrills into a small space, the multi-launch ride will blast riders forwards, backwards, and forwards before making it up and over the first of its heart-shaped elements. It will then dive down and trace a second heart-shaped section of track that will include two inversions.
Kyûbi Unchained at Parc Spirou Provence in France
Also from Zamperla, Kyûbi Unchained will be a family thrill coaster that will use a tire-propelled launch to hit 47 mph and climb a 103-foot dead-end spike. It will then fall and offer some backwards-facing fun. The coaster will anchor a land themed to Naruto, an anime series about a young martial arts hero.
So, would you brave Flacon’s Flight if you had the opportunity? What is your impression of Six Flags Qiddiya City?