[Young journalist Isabelle Go Eun Lee] An international stage where youth from around the world competed in technology and collaborated across borders through robotics has concluded in Incheon. The "2026 FIRST Global Challenge," which brought together high school-aged participants from over 190 countries, wrapped up after four days of competition, announced the top-winning teams, and confirmed Madrid, Spain, as the host city for next year’s event.

Held from October 7 to 10 at Songdo ConvensiA in Incheon, this event is an international youth robotics competition organized by the U.S.-based non-profit, FIRST Global. The competition features youth representing their respective countries who test their robot design, construction, and programming skills while collaborating across borders to solve shared challenges. This marked the first time the competition was held in South Korea.

The theme of this year's competition was "Igniting Innovation." Participants built and operated robots in matches designed around the global challenges of wildfire prevention, damage mitigation, and recovery. The event went beyond merely testing robot performance, encouraging participants to use technology to address real-world social issues.

The winning alliance team consisted of four countries…
Evaluating Both Technical Skills and Collaborative Capabilities
The victor of the gold medal in the tournament final was a coalition comprised of the teams from Venezuela, El Salvador, Uzbekistan, and Moldova. The silver medal went to a combined team from the UAE, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and Luxembourg, while the bronze medal was awarded to a team representing China, Turkmenistan, the Cayman Islands, and Türkiye.


Countries achieved success across various individual categories as well. Mexico won the gold award for the "Albert Einstein Award," which recognizes overall excellence in the competition, while Uzbekistan took the gold for the "FIRST Global Grand Challenge Award," based on cumulative scores throughout the event. The gold award for innovation in the "Igniting Innovation NTE" program—an initiative focused on experiencing new technologies—went to the Cayman Islands.

A notable aspect of this competition was the simultaneous presence of national rivalry and multinational cooperation. While participating teams competed as representatives of their respective nations, they also formed alliances with teams from other countries during the matches. The competition structure emphasized not only technical proficiency but also communication, problem-solving, and collaborative skills.

South Korean Team Ranks 74th Overall:
A Chance to Assess Global Competitiveness Beyond Just the Score
The South Korean team ranked 74th in the official standings. Based on the overall leaderboard, South Korea earned a total ranking score of 164.4 points across 11 matches.

Beyond the symbolic significance of hosting this international competition in Korea for the first time, the results served as an opportunity to evaluate the nation's capabilities in youth robotics education and preparation for international competitions. However, it is difficult to fully assess the participating students' technical growth or educational achievements based solely on competition rankings. A comprehensive view is required, taking into account various factors such as robot design and construction, programming, match strategy, and international cooperation.

The competition provided a platform for young people to develop competencies in science and technology through robotics and to gain experience in solving shared problems alongside participants from diverse cultural backgrounds. A key challenge remains to ensure that participation in this international event does not end as a one-time achievement, but leads to continued learning, research, and career exploration.

will.i.am Attends… Expanding International Cooperation in AI and Robotics Education
Artist and tech entrepreneur will.i.am also attended the event. He serves as a board member of FIRST Global, founder and CEO of FYI.AI, and a Goodwill Ambassador for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) AI Skills Coalition.

During the event, FIRST Global and the ITU’s "AI for Good" initiative announced plans to expand cooperation on robotics and AI education for youth. As part of this collaboration, FIRST Global will provide 60 Experiential Robotics Platform (XRP) kits to the teams that advance to the finals of the ITU’s "Robotics for Good Youth Challenge." These teams will compete in the final round during the "AI for Good Global Summit," scheduled for June 21–24, 2027, in Geneva, Switzerland.

This initiative aims to bridge the experience gained at the international robotics competition with further studies in programming, AI, and engineering. It is significant for broadening the scope of international cooperation, ensuring that students have continued opportunities to learn and apply technological knowledge even after the competition concludes.

Next Stop: Madrid… Continuing International Youth Technology Exchange
At the closing ceremony, Madrid, Spain, was announced as the next host city for the 2027 FIRST Global Challenge. Launched in Washington, D.C., in 2017, the competition has traveled through various global cities—including Dubai, Geneva, Singapore, and Athens—before arriving in Incheon, where it will continue in Spain next year.

This event demonstrated that robot competitions allow young people to develop technical skills while also experiencing international communication, cooperation, leadership, and resilience. Participants competed representing their respective nations yet collaborated to solve shared challenges.

Although the 2026 competition in Incheon has concluded, the youths' technological endeavors and international exchanges will continue in Madrid. The South Korean team is now called upon to build on this experience by further honing its technical capabilities and strengthening its competitiveness on the global stage.

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