January 2026 - RoboCup-humanoid

HSL Rules Draft Update – January 31st, 2026
by Heinrich Mellmann 31 Jan '26

31 Jan '26

Dear teams, in the past weeks the Technical and the Executive Committee have done significant work on finalizing the rules for the Humanoid Soccer League rule book for RoboCup 2026. At the moment the last major point are being finalized. The first official draft of the rules is expected to be ready within the coming week and will be sent in a separate email. The most up-to-date version will always be available at: https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules **IMPORTANT**: This is a work-in-progress draft and will be subject to ongoing revisions. --------------------------------------------- ## Key Decisions Made Based on recent Technical Committee meetings, here are the major decisions incorporated into this draft: ### Tournament Structure Due to the number of teams, it is likely that a full round robin is not possible. As such, a Swiss - or similar - tournament structure will likely be adopted. Seeding to be discussed at a later date. ### Whistle Detection Listening for the whistle will be included in the standard game of soccer: - Teams will only be expected to listen to the whistle for the transition of the game state from "set" to "playing", for kick-offs, drop-ball, and penalty kicks. - There will be a 10s delay for the "playing" signal from GameController. ### Communication Limits Communication between the robots is event-based with a limited number of packages available to each team during a game (like in SPL). The packet limits are set to allow HL teams to transition to limited event-based communication. - A team has a budget of 12.000 UDP messages per game. Each message should have maximum size of 512-byte. - Messages must be sent as UDP-broadcast and will be monitored by the GameController. ### Goal Dimensions at RoboCup 2026 Here are the decided dimensions of the goals to be used at RoboCup 2026. More details about allowable goal sizes are in the rules: * S Division - Small Field: `1.8m x 1.2m` * M Division - Small Field: `2.4m x 1.6m` - Medium Field: `2.4m x 1.8m` * L Division - Medium Field: `2.4m x 1.8m` - Large Field: `3m x 2m` (Large field unlikely at RC2026) **Note:** the goal sizes were chosen to allow for commercially available off-the-shelf goals to be used. ### Visual Referee (Former SPL) The visual referee will not be included in this year's main competition rules. It may be moved to a new challenge for 2026 and added to the roadmap for possible main rules inclusion. --------------------------------------------- ## What's Next This draft represents significant progress, but we expect further refinements based on team feedback and ongoing TC discussions. Please review the draft thoroughly and share your questions or concerns in #rule-book. We'll continue providing updates from our TC meetings to keep you informed of any changes. There will be more frequent updates in the RoboCup Official Discord Major - Soccer #announcements channel, with periodic newsletters sent out for major updates. --------------------------------------------- ## Website The new HSL Website is online: https://hsl.robocup.org/ In the next weeks it will be populated with more information and turned into a hub of the league. --------------------------------------------- ## Important Reminders * Registration Timeline: - Submission deadline: January 31st, 2026 (**TODAY**) - Team review period: February 3rd - 20th, 2026 - Announcement of qualified teams: March 2nd, 2026 --------------------------------------------- For questions regarding the rule book, please message #rule-book. For other inquiries, reach out via email or #ask-committees. Thank you for your patience and collaboration as we finalize these details! Best regards, Heinrich Mellmann and Sam Griffiths On behalf of the Humanoid Soccer League Technical Committee. -- Dipl.-Math., Dipl.-Inf. Heinrich Mellmann Institut für Informatik Adaptive Systeme (RUD25, Raum 3.110) Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Unter den Linden 6 Telefon: +49 (0)30 2093-41173 10099 Berlin E-mail: mellmann(a)informatik.hu-berlin.de URL: http://www.heinrich-mellmann.de http://naoth.de

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KURA submission
by Saif Dhafer Mubarak Saeed Alameri 30 Jan '26

30 Jan '26

Good evening, I hope this email finds you well, I have been trying to submit the form for the past three days, but it seems that there is an issue. Attached below are the required files for KURA submission for adult size humanoid football. If there is anything missing let me know. Youtube link: https://youtu.be/Z6yfrtWuiB0?si=M49CcNU5Gf3nnij2 Website link: https://kura.ae/ Best Regards, Saif Alameri

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Reminder: RoboCup Submissions close in 5 days!
by Sebastian Stelter 25 Jan '26

25 Jan '26

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Question Regarding Submitted Software Form
by hong li 23 Jan '26

23 Jan '26

Dear RoboCup Qualification Committee, I accidentally submitted the RoboCup 2026 software form before I had completed all entries. Some fields currently contain placeholders, and I have not saved a copy of my inputs. Could you please advise on how I should proceed? Is it possible to retrieve the data I have already entered so that I can update the form correctly? Thank you very much for your guidance. Best regards, BigHeroX

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RoboCup GermanOpen 2026 - Call for Participation
by Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann 23 Jan '26

23 Jan '26

RoboCup German Open 2026 Call for Participation - Major Leagues https://robocup.de/german-open Cologne Trade Fair, Cologne, Germany The 23nd RoboCup German Open 2026 will take place from March 10-14 in Cologne. Cologne with its welcoming vibe offers a captivating mix of culture, architecture, history, and lively atmosphere. From the awe-inspiring Cologne Cathedral — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — to its dynamic art scene and riverside cafés along the Rhine, the city invites exploration. For example, visitors can enjoy world-class museums, the walkable old town with many bars, or festive events like the Cologne Carnival. Cologne is a perfect destination for both history lovers and urban adventurers and a great host for RoboCup German Open 2026. Every regional and international Major team is cordially invited to take part in the event. ---------- RoboCup Major Leagues (international teams) ---------- After the team setup on March 10th, the competitions will take place from 11th to 14th of March 2026 in the following main leagues: • RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League • RoboCupSoccer Small Size League • RoboCupRescue Robot League • RoboCupIndustrial Smart Manufacturing League • RoboCup@Home League For Major team registration please visit: https://portal.robocup.de/registry Registration deadline *** January 31st, 2026 *** Late registration deadline (team members only) *** February 28th, 2026 ***. Teams are advised to arrange their own accommodation *** as early as possible *** as cost of accommodation is expected to rise in the run-up of the event. Most recent rule developments in all leagues, especially the Soccer and Smart Manufacturing Leagues will be considered for the competitions. Depending on sufficient interest from teams in participating, additional major leagues, such as the Middle Size League, may be offered. ---------- Further information on co-located events ---------- RoboCup German Open 2026 will be embedded in didacta 2026, which is Europe's largest education fair and most important continuing education event for teachers. Over 700 exhibitors from more than 60 countries will present their offerings in Cologne. Participants tickets to RoboCup German Open will include didacta tickets as well. The 2nd German Robotics Conference on AI-powered robotics, organized by the Robotics Institute Germany, will take place from March 11 to 13, 2026, parallel to the RoboCup German Open and in close proximity to it. ---------- RoboCup Junior (German teams) ---------- From March 12-14, 2026 the final event of the German RoboCupJunior Championship will be held at RoboCup German Open 2026 in Cologne. The best teams that have qualified in the nine previous German qualifying tournaments will take part. The best German Junior teams in the 2026 German Junior Final will qualify for RoboCup 2026 in South Korea and for the European RoboCupJunior Competition 2026 in Austria. ---------- Organization Committee ---------- - Oskar von Stryk (General Chair) - Julian Werner (Project Lead) - Alexander Ferrein (German RoboCup Committee, Spokesperson Major) The Major Leagues Organizing Committee: - Heinrich Mellmann (Humanoid Soccer League, former Humanoid & Standard Platform Leagues) - Nicolai Ommer (Small Size League) - Johannes Pellenz, Stefan May, Thomas Sander (Rescue Robot League & RMRC) - Sven Wachsmuth (@Home League) - Alexander Ferrein, Christoph Steup (Smart Manufacturing League) The Junior Leagues Organizing Committee: - Lara Trappmann - Oskar Kirmis - Niko Lockenwitz - Michelle Bialdyga - Christian Häußler - Lena Eickhoff - Stefanie Haupt ---------- Important dates ---------- - 2025-12-01 Major teams early registration starts - 2026-01-31 Major teams registration deadline, team member registration deadline - 2026-02-28 Late registration deadline (team members only) - 2026-03-10 Set-up day Major League teams - 2026-03-12 to 16 Competition days - 2026-03-14 Major and Junior finals The event is open to the public during all days from 9 am to 5 pm ---------- Contact ---------- Please contact germanopen(a)robocup.de for any questions. See you all at the 23rd RoboCup German Open 2026! Best regards, German RoboCup Committee

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Re: Inquiry Regarding Qualification Video Requirements forFirst-Time Humanoid League Participation
by Sebastian Stelter 22 Jan '26

22 Jan '26

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Inquiry Regarding Qualification Video Requirements for First-Time Humanoid League Participation
by hong li 22 Jan '26

22 Jan '26

Dear RoboCup Qualification Committee, We are writing to inquire about the qualification video requirements for the upcoming RoboCup Humanoid League, specifically regarding the demonstration of fall recovery behaviors. Our team is participating in the Humanoid League for the first time, and we are currently in the process of transitioning into humanoid robot development. At this stage, we have not yet completed the implementation of autonomous fall detection and get-up behaviors on a physical humanoid robot platform. However, we are able to demonstrate this capability within a simulation environment, including autonomous fall recovery behaviors consistent with the league’s recommended skill set. In addition, we can provide demonstrations of other core abilities using our current hardware and software systems. We would like to kindly ask whether the absence of a physical robot demonstration of fall recovery at this time, supplemented by a simulation-based demonstration, would affect our eligibility for qualification, given the provisions stated in the qualification guidelines for teams transitioning from other platforms or participating for the first time. We appreciate your time and consideration, and we would be grateful for any clarification or guidance you can provide. Kind regards, Team BigHeroX

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Robotics in Education Conference - Call for papers deadline extended to January 31.
by Gerndt, Reinhard 13 Jan '26

13 Jan '26

Dear All (please share), The 17th International Conference on Robotics in Education (RiE 2026) will take place April 15 - 17 2026 in Wolfenbuettel, Germany. RiE brings together academics, researchers, teachers, engineers, and industry experts from around the world to share ideas, exchange experiences, and present innovations in the field of robotics in education. Please consider presenting your research at RiE 2026. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to: * Robotics in school and its curricula * Educational robotics platforms * Problem-based learning and robotics * Didactic approaches in educational robotics * Exemplary robotics projects in classes * Best practices Robotics in education * Web-based and remote robotics and simulation * Assessment and evaluation of robotics activities * Integration of robotics in school curricula * Evaluation criteria and tools for measuring the impact * Constructivism/constructionism and robotics * Methodologies for teaching robotics * Robotics and AI in schools * Robotics contests and their educational impact * Robotics through edutainment and their educational value * Humanoid robots in education * Telerobotics in the classroom * Artificial intelligence with educational robotics Final deadline for paper submission will be January 31st 2026. For more details please refer to the conference website http://rie.science. Looking forward to seeing you at RiE2026. Reinhard Gerndt (RiE Conference Chair) Hint: The world's leading trade fair for the manufacturing industry, the ‘Hannover Messe’ will take place close by the week after and may be worth a visit afterwards (https://www.hannovermesse.de/en//)

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[RoboCup] Software survey now available
by Sebastian Stelter 09 Jan '26

09 Jan '26

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[RoboCup] Reminder: Pre-Registrations
by Sebastian Stelter 08 Jan '26

08 Jan '26

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