RoboCup
Robot soccer, rescue and service robots since 1997. RoboCup 2027 is reported for 15 to 21 June in Nuremberg, Germany. Where to watch, how teams qualify, recent winners.
RoboCup is the longest-running international robot competition, best known for autonomous robot soccer, with leagues from small wheeled robots up to adult-size humanoids. RoboCup 2027 is reported for 15 to 21 June in Nuremberg, Germany.
At a glance
| Since | 1997 |
| Organiser | RoboCup Federation |
| Domains | Soccer, Rescue, @Home, Industrial, Junior |
| 2026 | 30 June to 6 July, Incheon, South Korea |
| 2027 | Reported for 15 to 21 June, Nuremberg, Germany |
| Official site | robocup.org |
Where to watch
robocup.tv collects RoboCup video and links the RoboCup YouTube channel and robocup.live. RoboCup has not said yet how the 2027 world cup will be streamed.
How to enter
Teams register through the RoboCup CMS, and each league sets its own qualification. For 2026, for example, the Middle Size League wanted qualification material by 28 February, and registration ran in stages from March to June. Fees are not published on the pages we read; new teams in the major leagues are reported to have the team fee waived.
What it is
RoboCup describes itself as a scientific initiative: its competitions are there to push research in robotics and AI, and teams are mostly university labs. It began in 1997 and is run by the RoboCup Federation.
Soccer is the best-known part, and it has four other domains:
- RoboCupSoccer: autonomous teams, from simulation leagues to full-size humanoids.
- RoboCupRescue: robots searching disaster sites.
- RoboCup@Home: service robots doing household tasks.
- RoboCupIndustrial: logistics and factory work.
- RoboCupJunior: school-age teams.
How it runs
A world cup each summer is the main event. Regional opens run through the year, among them the German, Japan, China, Iran, Mexican and Singapore opens and the Americas Super Regional. In 2026 the Humanoid League absorbed the Standard Platform League.
Where it stands now
RoboCup 2026 ran from 30 June to 6 July at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, the first world cup held in South Korea. Tsinghua Hephaestus defended its large humanoid soccer title, winning the final 6-2 with Booster T1 robots, and the event included the first 11-a-side match. The University of Seoul’s UOS Robotics won the Autonomous Robot Manipulation Challenge. At RoboCup 2025 in Salvador, Brazil, B-Human took its 12th Standard Platform title. RoboCup 2027 is reported for 15 to 21 June in Nuremberg, Germany.