A five-foot humanoid robot named Atlas walked pitchside at New York/New Jersey Stadium during a FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Brazil and Norway, performed goal celebrations mimicking Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Matheus Cunha, and Son Heung-min, then handed the match ball to the referee. In front of 80,000 people and a global TV audience, it was the first time a humanoid robot had ever appeared in that capacity at a World Cup.
The robot, the car company, and the football tournament
Atlas is built by Boston Dynamics, which is roughly 80% owned by Hyundai Motor Group. The electric version of Atlas was unveiled at CES on January 5, 2026, with full-scale production kicking off immediately after. All initial units were allocated for 2026 deployment across Hyundai facilities and for Google DeepMind.
The World Cup appearance was part of Hyundai’s “School of Football” campaign, leveraging the automaker’s role as FIFA’s official automotive partner. The campaign featured Atlas demonstrating complex soccer moves, including something called the Ghost Rabona, a trick the robot reportedly learned through reinforcement learning trained on live World Cup footage.
Atlas wasn’t the only Boston Dynamics creation at the tournament. Spot, the company’s quadruped robot, was also present at World Cup venues, reportedly offering candy to FIFA President Gianni Infantino on June 12, 2026.
