Hyundai Motor Company showcased a humanoid robot at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The name of the robot is Atlas, and it was seen performing a variety of moves that stunned everyone.

The robot appeared during halftime of the Round of 16 match at New York/New Jersey Stadium. It became the first-ever humanoid robot to take part in a live FIFA World Cup match. Being the tournament’s Official Robotics Partner, Hyundai used this massive platform in order to demonstrate the real-world capabilities of Atlas. This humanoid robot is developed by Boston Dynamics, and this activation actually marked the first public appearance of the production version of Atlas.

The demonstration showed Hyundai Motor Group’s growing focus on robotics and artificial intelligence. Not only this, but it also highlights the vision of the company that aims to create such technologies that can make day-to-day lives way easier. The company displayed Atlas in front of millions of football fans, and doing so indeed helped them show the world how humanoid robots are not limited to laboratories or industrial facilities only. In fact, these robots can be used in busy places and changing environments. 

“As part of Hyundai’s ‘Next Starts Now’ campaign, we wanted Atlas’s performance on the world’s biggest stage to demonstrate that the future isn’t something we imagine — it starts now. At Hyundai, we are committed to developing human-centered innovation that integrates seamlessly into everyday life, and to presenting a new vision of future mobility expanded through robotics — showing that robotics can be a trusted partner in humanity’s progress through diverse and creative brand experiences.” – Sungwon Jee, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer, Hyundai Motor Company.

Atlas Makes FIFA World Cup History

As soon as halftime began, this was the moment Atlas made its appearance. It emerged from the players’ tunnel and instantly became the center of attention of all the fans at the FIFA World Cup. This humanoid robot recreated iconic goal celebrations inspired by football stars Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Matheus Cunha, and Son Heung-min. While doing so, Atlas also showed excellent balance and lifelike movements.

When Atlas’s performance ended, it picked up the ceremonial match ball and handed it to the referee before the second half started. This move showed that robots can definitely perform complex activities even in crowded and super busy places like a football stadium. And the best part was that this move was seen by millions of football fans live. 

The appearance represented two major milestones. Firstly, it became the first public demonstration of Atlas’ production version. And secondly, this was the first time in the history of robotics that a humanoid robot participated in a live FIFA World Cup match environment.

How Atlas Performed Live

The halftime performance was made possible through a combination of advanced robotics technologies. Atlas uses retargeting technology to convert human movements into robotic actions, allowing it to imitate football celebrations naturally.

Its movements are further refined through reinforcement learning, where thousands of computer simulations help the robot improve before performing in real-world settings. Whole-body control technology enables Atlas to coordinate every part of its body simultaneously, allowing it to maintain balance while executing fluid and dynamic motions.

“At Boston Dynamics, we have always taken inspiration from human athletic feats like gymnastics, dancing, parkour and now football to push forward the frontier of what robots can do in a way that connects with people. Working with Hyundai Motor Group and FIFA to create such a unique moment for fans was an exciting challenge for our team. The way we trained Atlas to perform these fun movements at the match is similar to how we teach the robot to take on real-world industrial applications. It’s a great way to introduce people everywhere to the incredible potential of today’s AI-enabled robots.” – Alberto Rodriguez, Director of Robotics Behavior, Boston Dynamics.

Hyundai’s Robotics Vision

Atlas’ appearance is a part of Hyundai’s global “Next Starts Now” campaign. This campaign combines football, innovation, and technology in order to inspire fans all around the world. The demonstration also builds on the company’s “School of Football” content series. This is where Atlas learned football-inspired skills such as the “Ghost Rabona” using the same AI-powered robotics technologies.

Hyundai has also announced additional behind-the-scenes content from the World Cup activation. In collaboration with BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, the company will release a documentary-style film called “The Training Ground”. This series will show how Atlas was trained for this historic performance. And this film will be available on Hyundai’s digital platforms in two versions. One of them would be a 3.5-minute feature version, while the other one would be a 30-second short edit. 

It is worth noting that Hyundai’s demonstration of Atlas in the FIFA World Cup is definitely the most high-profile robotics demonstration as of yet. The company is continuing to invest in robotics and physical AI. The goal? Well, that’s quite clear. All they want is to normalize the use of humanoid robots in people’s day-to-day lives rather than just limiting them to factories and industries, etc.