Hyundai Motor's Atlas robot debuts at FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16

Hyundai Motor, the official mobility partner of FIFA World Cup 2026, presented Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot Atlas on the field during the round‑of‑16 match at a New Jersey stadium. The robot walked out of the players' tunnel, performed a series of soccer‑style goal‑celebration gestures modeled on stars such as Harry Kane and Son Heung‑min, and handed the match ball to the referee before the second half began.

The demonstration highlighted Atlas' advanced motion‑control technologies, including motion‑transfer mapping, reinforcement‑learning‑trained simulations and full‑body coordination, marking the first integration of a humanoid robot into a live, large‑scale sports environment. Hyundai promoted the event through a documentary titled “The Training Ground” and linked it to its “Next Starts Now” campaign, underscoring the company's push to bring robotics out of the lab and into everyday experiences.