Hyundai Leverages World Cup Spotlight to Showcase Its Robotics Ambitions

Hyundai Motor Company used the world’s largest sporting stage to showcase its robotics ambitions.

The firm brought Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot Atlas onto the field during halftime of the FIFA World Cup round of 16 match, which Norway won 2-1 over Brazil.

In a tournament featuring stars such as Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, the 80,633 spectators at MetLife Stadium – rebranded New York/New Jersey Stadium by FIFA because Hyundai is not an official World Cup sponsor – watched as Atlas demonstrated its soccer skills and handed the ball to the referee.

“Atlas’s performance on the world’s biggest stage shows that the future isn’t just imagined; it starts now,” said Sungwon Jee, executive vice president and global chief marketing officer of Hyundai Motor Company.

This marked the first integration of a humanoid robot into a live World Cup soccer match, according to Hyundai, FIFA’s Official Robotics Partner, and the public debut of the production‑grade Atlas following its introduction earlier this year at CES 2026.

Atlas performed a range of soccer moves developed through motion retargeting, reinforcement learning and whole‑body control, allowing it to learn thousands of simulated training sessions before executing them in dynamic real‑world conditions.

The technology behind Atlas has broader industrial applications; the next‑generation model is built for unpredictable factory environments, unlike its predecessor that served as a research platform.

Standing 6 ft 2 in and weighing about 200 lb, Atlas can lift 66 lb and Hyundai plans to produce 30,000 units annually. Boston Dynamics notes that the same AI training used for the soccer demonstrations is being applied to warehouse automation and manufacturing tasks.

“Working with Hyundai Motor Group and FIFA to create this unique moment for fans was an exciting challenge,” said Alberto Rodriguez, director of robotics behavior at Boston Dynamics. “Our training approach for Atlas is similar to how we teach robots for real‑world industrial applications.”

Hyundai’s robotics strategy follows its acquisition of a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics and positions robotics as a core pillar alongside electric vehicles, software‑defined mobility and autonomous systems.

As part of its “Next Starts Now” World Cup campaign, Hyundai released a five‑part social film series, “School of Football,” documenting Atlas’s learning journey, and plans to share behind‑the‑scenes footage and a BBC StoryWorks documentary titled “The Training Ground.”

The appearance reflects a growing trend where technology companies showcase advanced robotics in public events rather than confined lab settings, highlighting the potential for safe, AI‑powered machines in everyday environments.

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