Brazil fields national humanoid robot soccer team at 2026 World Cup

Brazil has assembled a national squad, Team Brazil, by uniting five university robotics groups—RoboFEI, Bahia Robotics Team, RobôCIn, Warthog Robotics and Talos Humanoid Robots—to compete in the RoboCup Asia‑Pacific Beijing Masters. The event is part of the 2026 World Robot Soccer Championships, scheduled for 22‑26 August in Beijing, China.

The robots are fully autonomous humanoid machines that rely on artificial‑intelligence algorithms, computer‑vision, sensors and navigation systems, with no human control during matches. The initiative follows a strong showing by Brazil’s RoboFEI, which placed fifth in the 2025 edition. The tournament features about 280 teams from 16 nations, with China having dominated the previous finals.

Zhou Changjiu, president of the International RoboCup Asia‑Pacific Council and vice‑president of the International RoboCup Federation, said the creation of a Brazilian national team demonstrates the competition’s growth and could inspire other countries to form similar squads.