December 2025 - RoboCup-nao - lists.robocup.org

RoboCup 2026 Humanoid Soccer League Competition - 1st Call for Participation
by Reinaldo A. C. Bianchi 20 Dec '25

20 Dec '25

1st Call for Participation RoboCup 2026 Humanoid Soccer League Competition June 30th - July 6th, 2026, Incheon, South Korea ======================================= The RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League invites teams to apply for participation at the RoboCup 2026 Humanoid Soccer Competition in Incheon, South Korea. RoboCup is an international initiative that fosters research and education in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence through a variety of competitions (RoboCupSoccer, RoboCupRescue, RoboCup@Home, RoboCupIndustrial, RoboCupJunior) involving mostly multi-robot systems. RoboCupSoccer currently includes a number of different robot soccer leagues that focus on different research challenges. More information can be found on the official website: https://www.robocup.org/ The Humanoid Soccer League (HSL) was formed through the unification of the Humanoid League (HL) and Standard Platform League (SPL) and will take place for the first time at the RoboCup 2026. HSL hosts games and challenges where teams of humanoid robots play soccer autonomously. The game of soccer serves as an environment for research, development, and education in all areas of autonomous humanoid robots, including hardware development, vision, bipedal locomotion, learning, behavior control, and team coordination. The focus is thereby on human-like abilities of the robots. The Humanoid Soccer League will host competitions in the following divisions, depending on the height and weight of the robot players: * Small Robot Division: height < 110 cm, weight < 15 kg * Middle Robot Division: height < 125 cm; weight < 25 kg * Large Robot Division: height < 190 cm; weight < 80 kg Teams in each division will have the choice to play in two team configurations: 1. Foundation - with a smaller number of players; 2. Advanced - with a larger number of players. In a game, if one team chooses to play in a Foundation configuration, then both teams must play in this configuration. The maximum number of players in a game for each configuration is shown in the table below: * Small — Foundation: max 4 | Advanced: max 7 * Middle — Foundation: max 3 | Advanced: max 5 * Large — Foundation: max 3 | Advanced: max 5 Teams are welcome to apply even if they are unable to provide a full team of robots (the maximum number of robot players). Teams are encouraged to form and apply as joint teams. Joint proposals will be judged on their combined merit. For more details on divisions, please refer to the Humanoid Soccer League rules at: https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules. 1. Robots ======================================= Teams may apply for participation with both commercially available and with humanoid robot platforms constructed by the teams. A selection of robots is available for purchase through the RoboCup Humanoid Robot Program at a special RoboCup offer: https://robotprogram.robocup.org/ As part of the RoboCup Humanoid Robot Program, there will be a pool of humanoid robot models K1 and T1 provided by the company Booster for RoboCup 2026. Teams will be able to borrow the robots from the pool and use them in their games. 2. Application Process and Timeline ======================================= 2.1. Important Dates --------------------------------------- * Submission system open: January 1st, 2026 * Pre-application deadline: January 10th, 2026 * Submission deadline: January 31st, 2026 * Team review period: February 3rd - 20th, 2026 * Announcement of qualified teams: March 2nd, 2026 2.2. Online Submission --------------------------------------- All application materials must be submitted online at: https://submission.robocuphumanoid.com/login Teams may apply for participation in one or several divisions. Teams applying for participation in several divisions must submit individual application materials for each division. Please be informed that the submission system is being updated. To submit an application, it is necessary to create new accounts on the system. Accounts of the teams that used the system last year should be available and can be used this year. 2.3. Review Process --------------------------------------- Each application to the Humanoid Soccer Competition will be reviewed by two members of the Technical Committee and two other randomly assigned teams applying to the Humanoid Soccer Competition. The combined reviewing score will be used to decide whether a team qualifies for participation. Reviewing other teams' material is mandatory for teams that want to participate in the Humanoid Soccer Competition. Failing to provide an adequate review by the provided deadline will have consequences for the team's own qualification status. 3. Application Material (Robot/Team information to submit) ======================================= For the qualification process, teams must provide the following material: 3.1. Pre-application / Team-Information --------------------------------------- Team name URL of the team's home page Name of team leader or team contact person E-mail address of the team leader or contact person Competition Division: Small, Middle, Large – with robot numbers 3.2. Video --------------------------------------- Teams need to provide a video of their current or previous physical robot demonstrating the robot's autonomous soccer-playing skills. The recommended skills needed for the qualification are: * Localization of unknown ball position * Walking ability towards the ball * Robot positioning at the ball for kicking * Kicking the ball towards the goal * Passing the ball from one player to another * Avoiding other robots autonomously * Ability to get up autonomously after a fall We encourage teams to include in the video more complex and intelligent behavior, such as demonstrating localization, and robots playing in a game. Recordings from actual soccer matches are welcome. If possible, please provide footage that demonstrates the robot's behavior without wires attached. We understand that teams transitioning to new robot platforms from the former SPL and HL leagues may not yet have their physical robots, nor soccer-ready software/hardware to demonstrate by the qualification deadlines. Teams may alternatively demonstrate in their video their software/hardware capabilities from previous years on other robot platforms, and/or capabilities in simulation. We encourage teams, if possible, to include a demonstration of their current capabilities on their intended platform. * The maximum duration of the video must not exceed ** 5 minutes **. * The qualification video must be supplied as a link (e.g., uploaded on the team’s website or on some video server like YouTube). The qualifying team is responsible for ensuring that the video is accessible and viewable with modern browsers. Note, if YouTube is used, make sure the video adheres to YouTube's TOS (especially concerning music copyright) to prevent the video from being blocked for the reviewers. Teams that do not provide a qualification video or a viewable video will not be qualified. 3.3. Team Description Paper --------------------------------------- A team description paper must be submitted. For teams that have previously participated in the Humanoid League or Standard Platform League, the team description paper must include: * Lessons learned from participation in previous RoboCup competitions. * Highlight major challenges that the team is trying to solve for the upcoming competition. * Outline the plans for the major changes that the teams anticipate to have implemented by the RoboCup 2026 competition. * Describe the implementation status of the planned changes at the time of submitting the application. * Explain the impact of the team’s participation and research in RoboCup on (1) the Humanoid Soccer League, (2) the team’s university/community. * Demonstrate own contribution to the RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League or humanoid robotics research in general: Describe in detail the “research publishable” significant advancements the applying team has made and is going to use at RoboCup 2026. This can, for instance, include software or hardware releases, paper publications, provision of league infrastructure, or data sets. * Any other information that supports your application. For teams that have never participated in the RoboCup Humanoid League or Standard Platform League, the Team Description Paper must outline the scientific aspects of their humanoid robotic system and highlight their research focus. The submission should show clear contributions and advancements intended to be used during the competition. The team description papers are intended to highlight the changes and scientific developments since the last RoboCup. Thus, we expect the usage of material from previous TDPs or Extended Abstracts to be minimal. If material from previous TDPs is used, it must be cited appropriately. Submissions of last year's Extended Abstract will be desk-rejected. The team description paper is limited to ** 4 pages **, excluding references, and must be submitted in PDF format. The team description paper must follow the LNCS format, which can be downloaded from: https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…. Teams that do not follow the LNCS formatting and style guidelines will not be qualified. No exceptions to this rule will be made. 3.4. Software Description --------------------------------------- During the application process, a form will be provided to submit brief details about the algorithms used or anticipated to be used for participation in the 2026 competition. The form will include brief questions in the following areas: * Walking * Vision * Localization * Behavior * Team Communication Responses to the questions are expected to reflect the current and anticipated status of the software during the RoboCup 2026 competition. If software from other teams, third-party software libraries, or "off-the-shelf soccer-ready" libraries/algorithms are used, teams must reference this use. References should include the team, competition, and year when code is used from another team, or reference publicly available documentation for software libraries. Teams should describe how they have adapted the use of this software within their own codebase. 3.5. Hardware Specification --------------------------------------- A one-page specification (PDF) must be provided for each different type of humanoid robot used by the team that includes the following: * Robot picture (can be on a separate page) (3D model if the physical one is not available yet) * Robot name * Height of the robot * Weight of the robot * Number of degrees of freedom and type of motors on each kinematic chain of the robot * Actuator model name and Wattage * Type of sensors used (incl. type of camera(s) and specific manufacturer part number (e.g., "6-DoF IMU" is NOT an acceptable description)) * Computing unit(s) * Materials (e.g., Torso aluminium, legs and arms CFRP) * Electronics (e.g., CM730 for communicating with servos) * Battery (e.g. 3S1P 2200mAh LiPo) * Open Source link if applicable * Other specs (Jerseys if already available) Teams that are using pre-approved, unmodified HSL standard platforms only need to provide information directly available from the manufacturer's documentation to confirm they are using an unmodified standard platform. Teams do not need to provide details where information is not available via manufacturer-provided documentation, such as due to commercial confidence. 3.6. Letter of Commitment --------------------------------------- A one-page letter addressed to the RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League Technical Committee, including the following: * a statement committing to participate in the RoboCup 2026 Humanoid Soccer League competition; * a statement committing to make a person with sufficient knowledge of the rules available as a referee during the competition. The letter must be signed (by hand or using a digital signature software as Adobe or DocuSign) by the team leader and submitted either as a JPG, PNG, or PDF file. A template for this letter can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qNILlggOj5j_cHhof1b6NICPyfgVrp-M/edit?u… If you have doubts regarding the ability of your team to participate (due to funding, visas, etc.), please apply by the deadline, but note this in your application email. Declining to participate in any competition after the official early registration period has opened may negatively affect future applications (the later you decline, the worse it will affect future applications). The TC may include the fulfillment of the statement of commitment of participation, as well as the performance of the team's referee in previous RoboCup competitions, into consideration for qualification. Teams must guarantee to have at least one member per division they participate in, acting as a referee, available independently. Note that teams may be scheduled to play a game and referee a different game at the same time. 4. Organizational Information ======================================= 4.1. Rules --------------------------------------- The current version of the rules may be found here in the git: https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules. The current version is under development and subject to change. We expect the final version of the 2026 rules to be published in spring 2026. For more information about the Humanoid Soccer League and connections with other teams, please refer to the RoboCup Official Discord: https://discord.gg/fjrepNWk. 4.2. Plagiarism --------------------------------------- Plagiarism, loosely the unattributed use of other people's words, code, and ideas, is not tolerated in the RoboCup community. For a more detailed description, see the point "Publishing Ethics" at: https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu… The teams and team members who plagiarize other people's work and present it as their own will be disqualified. For a first offense, the team and team members will be banned from RoboCup competition for two years (usually the current and next year). Harsher penalties will be applied to repeat offenders or extremely serious cases of plagiarism. A team may be disqualified at any time for plagiarism, even after the competition has started. RoboCup will not reimburse teams for any expenses related to their disqualification. 4.3. Publication --------------------------------------- Please note that after the announcement of the qualified teams, the submitted materials of the qualified teams will be made publicly available on the Humanoid Soccer League website. Teams applying for participation, therefore, implicitly grant the right of publication of their qualification material to the Humanoid Soccer League. Therefore, teams should ensure their qualification materials contain no commercial-in-confidence information or other content that would restrict publication. 4.4. Visa Process --------------------------------------- South Korea offers visa-free entry for many countries for short tourism/business stays (under 90 days), but most need the K-ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) before arrival. Please verify your visa requirements at the South Korea Visa Portal: https://www.visa.go.kr/main/openMain.do The letters of invitation are issued by the RoboCup federation, not the TC, and they are part of the official registration process. We look forward to seeing you all at the RoboCup 2026! With best regards, Technical Committee of the RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League 2026 Esta mensagem, juntamente com qualquer outra informação anexada, é confidencial e protegida por lei. Somente os seus destinatários estão autorizados a usá-la. Se você não for o destinatário, por favor, informe o remetente e, em seguida, apague a mensagem, observando que não há autorização para usar, copiar, armazenar, encaminhar, imprimir ou tomar qualquer ação baseada no seu conteúdo.

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Dutch Nao Team Code Release
by Gijs de Jong 12 Dec '25

12 Dec '25

Dear SPL Teams, We are happy to announce the Dutch Nao Team 2025 code release. Our full software repository is now open source, and the exact version used at RoboCup 2025 has been tagged as robocup-2025. Apologies for the delayed release. This was an oversight on our side while transitioning our development focus to the Booster platform. The repository includes our complete SPL stack, covering perception, localization, behavior, motion, visualization, tooling and simulation support. You can find the release here: https://github.com/IntelligentRoboticsLab/yggdrasil/releases/tag/robocup-20… Best regards, Dutch Nao Team *PS:* We would like to thank everyone in the league for the many great interactions and the wonderful time we had in the SPL as the Dutch Nao Team. Going forward, our team will continue under a new name: whIRLwind Amsterdam. Updates on our work and future activities can be found on our new website: https://whirlwind.team/

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Newsletter #2 - Humanoid Soccer League
by Caron, Benjamin 06 Dec '25

06 Dec '25

New Division Structure for the Humanoid Soccer League (HSL) The Technical Committee is pleased to announce the latest developments for the new humanoid soccer league. This newsletter provides clarifications on the current state of decisions regarding the divisions, ball specifications, and jersey requirements for the RoboCup 2026. Town Hall All teams are invited to a Town Hall meeting. The Town Hall will be held on December 15th at 11:00 UTC online in Zoom: https://hu-berlin.zoom-x.de/j/68018766319?pwd=bbgiDWtbSCcRv9ZWdyUSapBaFZeza… The agenda for the meeting will be: * Mission and Vision of the HSL * HSL design requirements and parameters * Rule set review: * Legal Robot parameters, constructed & standard platforms * Divisions and Foundation/Advanced tiers * Team sizes * Brief Game Rules review * Future coming directions and league requirements, 2027-2028 * Q&A Session, including pre-provided questions/comments During the Q&A session, priority will be given to questions submitted in advance. Please use this form: https://forms.gle/2QNeWgvg8ciKBAzw9 Three Competitive Divisions for 2026 The division structure is the central component of the new league. Thus, the decision regarding the competition divisions was a lengthy process that involved many individuals from TCs to EXECS and Trustees. We took into account many opinions, including all the discussions held on Discord, and carefully considered all relevant factors. Consequently, this division is final for the 2026 season, and no further changes will be made. Division Max Weight Max Height Players Ball Size Small 15 kg 110 cm 4-7 SPL / FIFA Mini Middle 25 kg 125 cm 3-5 FIFA 3 or 4 Large 80 kg 190 cm 3-5 FIFA 5 Division Overview * Small Division Entry tier of the HSL, welcoming both NAO and kid-size research robots. Designed for accessibility while supporting innovation and providing a smooth transition from the former SPL. In this division, the maximum weight and height of the robots have an upper limit, meaning that robots that are heavier or higher than the limit are not allowed. The details of how the FIFA Miniball and the smaller, softer SPL ball will be used are still being debated. * Middle Division Intermediate tier between small and full-size platforms, enabling stronger actuators, larger sensor payloads, and more advanced locomotion research, while still allowing for easy handling and large team sizes. Both size 3 and size 4 balls will be used, depending on availability. * Large Division Aligned with adult human-scale proportions (up to 190 cm / 80 kg), this division brings robots closer to real-world adult soccer challenges. Smaller robots (i.e., those meeting the weight and height specifications of a lower division) are permitted to compete in larger divisions. We anticipate and hope for a diverse competitive landscape featuring teams fielding a variety of robot types, including both commercial platforms and custom research robots of different sizes. However, for a team utilizing multiple types of robots, the entire team is restricted by the physical specifications (maximum height or maximum weight) of the largest robot on the field. It is important to note that teams should expect further increases in the small division limits over the next years, leading up to the consolidation in two categories only: one that would allow robots to play with children of up to 10 years; and another with robots that could compete with teen and adult human players. Field Dimensions The field sizes for the proposed divisions are described in the following table: Division Width x Length (meters) Small 6 × 9 Middle 6 x 9 up to 9 x 14 Large 9 x 14 up to 14 X 22 The size of the small division field is equal to that of the Humanoid League KidSize and the SPL fields, and the largest dimension in the middle division equals the Humanoid AdultSize field. These dimensions maintain continuity with historical league formats while accommodating the new divisional structure. The middle and large fields are specified as a range, and they reflect the variability permitted in real-world FIFA field specifications. Team Configurations Teams in each division can choose to play in two team configurations: Foundation - with a smaller number of players; and Advanced - with a larger number of players. If in a game one of the teams chooses to play in a Foundation configuration, then both teams must play in this configuration to ensure fairness. The maximum number of players in a game for each configuration is shown in the table below: Division Foundation Advanced Small 4 players 7 players Middle 3 players 5 players Large 3 players 5 players Those numbers denote the maximum number of players in a team. A team can always compete with fewer robots than the maximum configuration allowance. In the Middle division, starting from the quarter-finals onwards, all matches will be played in the Advanced configuration. Whether a robot pool can be provided to fill up teams that cannot field enough robots is currently under discussion. Teams are encouraged to choose the Advanced configuration in the small and large divisions as well, for example, by forming merged teams. It is likely that in the next years Advanced configurations will be enforced in all divisions. Fitness Tests Robot inspections verify that robots meet the physical specifications for their division, but they do not assess robot abilities (e.g., standing up is not required for eligibility). Fitness tests and leaderboard challenges will be included in the competition in some form, though the exact structure is still under discussion. These fitness tests serve as a benchmark to monitor the progress of the league. Failure to pass any of the tests will not prevent teams from participating. Robot Color and Jerseys Robot bodies must be colored mostly with a neutral color, such as black, gray, white, or silver, and be non-reflective. Robots use colored jersey shirts as team markers. A Jersey is a tank top-style shirt that may start at the neck and go down to the waistline, and does not cover the arms of the robots. It must cover at least 50% of the upper body of the robot. Jerseys must have a primary color that comprises more than half of the jersey. The primary color must be recognizable from the front and back. Jerseys should not contain distracting patterns that could be confused with other elements of the soccer field, such as field lines or the ball. Jersey material must be non-reflecting, non-shiny, and non-glittery. Jerseys may be manufactured from fabric and fine mesh. Each team must provide two jersey designs in distinctly different solid colors. The jersey color must clearly contrast with any uncovered parts of the robot to ensure reliable identification. Robots must display clear identification numbers (player number): a large number on the back and a smaller number on the front. Sponsorship logos will be allowed on jerseys, though detailed guidelines are still being finalized. Jersey designs must be submitted for approval prior to the competition. Robot Stand-Up Requirement Robots are expected to recover autonomously after a fall during a game. If a robot is unable to stand up on its own during play, a standard penalty will be applied. Robots that are not physically designed to stand up unassisted may still participate in the competition; however, the same penalty rules will apply when they are unable to recover from a fall during a game. Rule repository The rules are actively developed on this repository: https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules <https://github.com/RoboCup-HumanoidSoccerLeague/HSL-Rules> However, please note that due to the early stage, those rules are subject to change. Best regards, The Executive and Technical Committee of the Humanoid Soccer League (HSL)

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