Hyundai Motor Company brought its vision for future robotics to one of the world's biggest sporting events, unveiling Boston Dynamics' next-generation humanoid robot Atlas during halftime of a FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match.
The company announced that Atlas successfully delivered the official match ball to the referee during the halftime ceremony at New York New Jersey Stadium in the United States on Saturday (local time).
Before the second half kicked off, Atlas emerged from the players' tunnel and entertained fans by recreating signature goal celebrations made famous by football stars including Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Matheus Cunha and Son Heung-min. The robot then approached the referee and presented the match ball, signaling the start of the second half.
The appearance marked the first live public demonstration of Hyundai's next-generation electric Atlas development model. While the robot's design was first unveiled at CES 2026 in January, its capabilities had previously been shown only through promotional videos and controlled demonstrations.
According to Hyundai, Atlas performed smoothly despite the unpredictable conditions of a packed stadium, demonstrating the company's progress in advanced humanoid robotics.
The robot's movements were enabled by a combination of motion retargeting technology, which translates human movements into robot-compatible actions, reinforcement learning trained through thousands of simulations, and full-body control technology that coordinates all of Atlas' joints as a unified system. These technologies allowed the robot to maintain balance while executing precise and natural movements throughout the performance.
Hyundai said the demonstration illustrated how humanoid robotics can move beyond industrial applications to create new experiences in sports, entertainment and live events.
The performance formed part of Hyundai's global FIFA World Cup campaign, "Next Starts Now," reflecting the automaker's long-standing partnership with FIFA, which dates back to 1999.
Ahead of the tournament, Hyundai released its "School of Football" campaign film, featuring Atlas learning football skills to introduce the company's robotics technologies in an accessible way. The main "Next Starts Now" campaign video, released last month, also teased Atlas carrying the official match ball into the stadium, building anticipation for its World Cup appearance.
Hyundai will continue the campaign with the release of a branded documentary, "The Training Ground," produced in collaboration with the BBC on Tuesday. The film will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the technological development and preparation that made Atlas' World Cup performance possible, while highlighting Hyundai's long-term vision for the future of robotics.
