RoboCup 2025 Kicks Off in Brazil with Live Streaming Events

The RoboCup 2025, recognized as one of the largest robotics and artificial intelligence competitions globally, commenced in Brazil on Thursday. This year's event features live streaming of competitions across various platforms, including YouTube and Twitch, allowing a global audience to engage with the latest advancements in robotic technology.

Running from July 17 to July 21, the competition showcases the skills of 250 teams from around the world, comprising 112 research teams and 123 student teams. This year marks a record high in participation since the inaugural RoboCup held in 1997.

The event is taking place in Salvador, Brazil, where around 1,500 participants from 37 countries are expected to attend. Notably, several nations, including Germany, Japan, China, Mexico, and the United States, are sending more than 14 teams to compete.

The competitions are divided into four main categories: soccer, rescue, home, and industrial robotics. Soccer remains the traditional discipline, where teams of robots autonomously compete in matches across five leagues. The robots are categorized into humanoid, wheeled, and simulated platforms, competing within their respective categories. A long-term goal of RoboCup is to develop humanoid robots capable of defeating the reigning human soccer world champions by the year 2050, although the technology is still in its early stages.

In the rescue category, robots are tasked with performing rescue missions in simulated disaster scenarios, where they must locate and assist individuals in hazardous environments. The home category challenges robots to navigate and perform tasks within realistic household situations. Meanwhile, the industrial category involves robots competing in automation scenarios within industrial environments.

The RoboCup Junior Leagues, specifically for participants aged 19 and under, will also feature competitions in soccer, rescue, and performance categories.

Live streams of the individual events will be available on Twitch and YouTube, with the local time in Brazil being five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). An event schedule can be accessed on the official RoboCup event website, and organizers anticipate up to 150,000 spectators on-site throughout the competition.