History and Significance of RoboCup
Founded in 1997, RoboCup is an international research platform dedicated to advancing robotics and artificial intelligence through autonomous robot competitions. Over the past decades, RoboCup has grown into the world’s largest robotics and AI event, expanding from robot soccer to include Rescue, @Home, Industrial, and Junior leagues.
Beyond competition, RoboCup serves as a global testbed where researchers collaborate and compete to push the boundaries of autonomous robot technology, bridging academic research and real-world applications.
Long-Term Objective of RoboCup
RoboCup’s ultimate goal is to develop a fully autonomous robot soccer team capable of defeating the human World Cup champions by the year 2050. This long-term vision drives research in perception, decision-making, learning, cooperation, and embodied intelligence.
In addition to soccer, RoboCup promotes robotics research applicable to real-world challenges, including disaster response, domestic environments, and industrial automation.
Significance of RoboCup 2026 Incheon
