RoboCup 2026 in Incheon was an intense and unforgettable week for us. Even the journey to South Korea was a bit of an adventure, with long flights, amusing taxi rides and our first shared experiences once we arrived. After a short break to catch our breath, however, we got straight down to work, as there was still plenty to do before the first match.
Our hotel kindly made the café on the ground floor available to us as a makeshift laboratory. There, we spent hours working on our robots before we could continue tinkering, soldering, programming and testing in the competition hall during the official set-up days. Step by step, we got our new robots ready for action and implemented important software and strategy adjustments. The first test runs on the playing field were particularly valuable, as they allowed us to try out our developments under real-world conditions.
However, the start to the tournament did not go as hoped. Our first group match against the reigning World Cup runners-up, ZJUNlict, ended in a 0–0 draw following numerous technical problems on both sides. The second match against KIKS was also marred by glitches in the league and vision software, meaning that, once again, the game could not run smoothly and the scoreboard ultimately showed another goalless draw.
In our third group match, we faced RobôCIn, a team we already knew well from Division B. However, shortly into the match, our opponents decided to abandon the game to prevent further damage to their own robots, which were already in a poor state. The match was awarded as a 10–0 win for us – an unusual result which, whilst we were pleased with, didn’t feel like a proper victory.
In the remaining matches, we were defeated 0–4 by the RoboDragons and 0–2 by ZJUNlict in the return fixture. Although we fell short of our own expectations in sporting terms, our overall assessment is very positive.
We are particularly proud of the progress we made with the hardware during the competition. After many months of intensive work, our newly developed robots were successfully deployed on the playing field. At the same time, we developed, adapted and tested new software and strategic approaches on site under real competition conditions. Above all, however, our team proved itself once again: despite time pressure, little sleep and unexpected challenges, we stuck together, supported one another and worked on our solutions right up to the very end.
Even after our last matches, we made the most of every spare minute in the hall to carry on working on our robots. After all, we don’t always have access to a playing field of this size in Hanover. Of course, the finals, the prize-giving ceremony and the closing party were all part of the RoboCup experience.
After the competition, we were finally able to enjoy a few days off in and around Seoul – a perfect end to an intense trip.
Armed with lots of new insights, experiences and plenty of motivation, we’re looking ahead. Our goal is clear: at RoboCup 2027 in Nuremberg, we want to build on the progress we’ve made this year and give it our all once again, so that we might even secure a place on the podium!
