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RoboCupJunior

RoboCupJunior

RoboCupJunior

ClosedRoboticsEngineeringCompetition

About the Program

RoboCupJunior (RCJ) is an educational robotics initiative of the RoboCup Federation for students up to age 19, designed as a pathway to the RoboCup Major Leagues. Teams design, build, and program autonomous robots and can compete with any robot, any software, and any level of experience. RoboCupJunior has been running for over 25 years.

Leagues:

LeagueWhat teams do
SoccerTwo robots per team play 2v2 matches, either in the Vision league (robots track an orange golf-ball-sized ball with cameras) or the Infrared league (robots track an infrared-emitting ball). Entry 1v1 leagues and a fully online Soccer Simulation challenge are also offered.
RescueRescue Line: a robot follows a black line across tiles with obstacles and debris, then rescues victims sorted by colour. Rescue Maze: a robot explores as much of a maze as possible, finding victims and delivering rescue kits. Rescue Simulation: a virtual robot explores and maps a maze in Webots-Erebus.
OnStageTeams create a live robotic performance such as dance, storytelling, theater, or games, showcasing four distinct robotic features. Teams are judged on a Technical Description Poster, a Technical Demonstration Video, a Technical Interview, and the performance itself.

Competition pathway:

RoboCupJunior describes a pathway that runs from local competitions and workshops to Regional Qualifying Tournaments, then to three SuperRegional competitions (Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific), and finally to the International competition. Each region's Regional Representative allocates International competition slots, which must strongly reflect regional results. Entry leagues and other "Primary" divisions are run in many regions and at SuperRegional tournaments but not at the International competition.

Recent and upcoming events:

  • RoboCup 2026 (International competition): June 30 – July 6, 2026, Songdo Convensia, South Korea
  • RoboCupJunior Americas SuperRegional 2026: October 22–25, 2026, Sheridan Davis Campus, Toronto, Canada

About RoboCup:

The RoboCup Federation's stated objective is that by the middle of the 21st century, a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots will win a soccer game under official FIFA rules against the most recent World Cup winner.

Official sources:

Eligibility

Open to students up to age 19. At the International competition, student members must be 14–19 years old as of July 1 of the competition year, teams have 2–4 members (Soccer and Rescue) or 2–5 members (OnStage), and each team needs a registered Junior Mentor aged 19 or older. Regional and SuperRegional events may set their own rules and team sizes, and many regions run Entry leagues for younger students. Any robot platform and software may be used.

Eligible Countries

All countries

How to Apply

Participation runs through RoboCupJunior's regions (over 40 active worldwide). Find your Regional Representative through the list on the Getting Started page at junior.robocup.org/gettingstarted and join your region's local and qualifying events. If your region is not yet active, contact the RoboCupJunior executives listed on that page about onboarding a new region. Regional Representatives allocate International competition slots based on regional results, and qualified teams are invited to register through the RoboCup Federation registration system.