At RoboCup 2026, held from June 30 to July 6 in Incheon, South Korea, a humanoid robot prepares to kick a soccer ball. But as it takes its run-up, it loses its balance and collapses to the ground before even touching the ball.

Established in 1997, RoboCup is the world’s largest robotics and artificial intelligence competition. Its long-term goal is to develop a team of humanoid robots capable of defeating the human world soccer champions by 2050. In addition to soccer matches, the competition includes rescue, home assistance, and industrial robotics events.