Incheon City has officially begun preparations to ensure the successful hosting of "RoboCup 2026," the world's largest artificial intelligence robotics competition.
Last July, the city became the first in Korea to secure the hosting rights for the World RoboCup. In July of this year, Hwang Hyojin, Deputy Mayor for Global Urban Affairs, received the competition flag at "RoboCup 2025" held in Salvador, Brazil. Since then, the city has been developing detailed action plans and has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Association of Robot Industry, continuing systematic preparations.
"RoboCup 2026" will be held from July 1 to 6 next year at Songdo Convensia in Incheon. Approximately 15,000 participants from 45 countries are expected to attend, with a diverse range of programs including competitions in five robotics categories, an international symposium, a corporate exhibition, and workshops.
To ensure the successful hosting of the World RoboCup, the city is working to establish an organizing committee. Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeongbok will serve as the chairperson of the event, while Kim Jinoh, President of the Korea Association of Robot Industry, and Ryu Jiho, Acting President of the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, will serve as co-chairs of the organizing committee. The event will be managed primarily through the operations and competition headquarters.
The city is also actively supporting local universities' participation, with a total of four teams from institutions such as Incheon National University and Inha University preparing to compete in three categories.
The "RoboCup 2026" will be held from July 1 to 6 next year at Songdo Convensia in Incheon. Incheon City
This event is also a core project of Incheon City's "2nd Comprehensive Plan for Supporting Innovation and Growth in the Robotics Industry (2025-2029)." The comprehensive plan consists of 38 individual projects centered on five key strategies: establishing innovative robotics infrastructure, scaling up robotics companies, expanding the use of robotics, fostering specialized talent, and creating a robot-friendly environment.
This year, the city is supporting 36 companies and accelerating the training of more than 200 specialized professionals. Building on its distinction as the first city in Korea to host the World RoboCup, Incheon aims to solidify its humanoid robot research and development (R&D) ecosystem and establish itself as a global leader in the robotics and AI industries.
In addition, the Incheon Robot Land development project, which had been stalled for 17 years, is now back on track. Construction began in March, and the city is currently proceeding with infrastructure work and administrative procedures for designating the site as an urban high-tech industrial complex, aiming to begin selling industrial lots next year. Through these efforts, Incheon plans to attract more domestic and international robotics companies and strengthen the local robotics industry ecosystem.
Lee Namjoo, Director of Future Industries at Incheon City, stated, "The World RoboCup, being held in Korea for the first time, is a significant opportunity for the world's top researchers and companies to gather and secure the latest technologies, as well as to enhance domestic robotics R&D capabilities. We will actively foster the humanoid robot R&D ecosystem and lead the world as a center for the convergence of robotics and AI industries."
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