SOCCER: Atlas, the humanoid robot, delivers match ball at World Cup

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — The 2026 FIFA World Cup added a futuristic moment to its storied history on Sunday as Atlas, an advanced humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, delivered the match ball to the referee at halftime during Brazil's Round of 16 match against Norway at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Presented by tournament sponsor Hyundai Motor, Atlas walked onto the field before performing a series of celebratory movements, including an imitation of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland's signature meditation pose. The robot has previously demonstrated its capabilities through dancing and parkour routines.

"We always looked at human skill as a way to motivate us and challenge us to push forward what robots can do," said Alberto Rodriguez, director of robot behavior at Boston Dynamics.

Engineers faced several technical challenges to prepare Atlas for its World Cup appearance. With tens of thousands of fans using mobile devices inside the stadium, standard Wi-Fi communication was not reliable, prompting the team to develop a dedicated radio communication system attached to the robot.

Rodriguez also noted that the natural grass surface required additional adjustments to Atlas' movement system.

"Grass has its own peculiarity," Rodriguez said. "We had to change the way Atlas learns to walk, jump, and run so that it's more robust."

Hyundai has been expanding its robotics efforts and announced earlier this year that it plans to begin deploying Atlas robots at its manufacturing plant in Georgia in 2028 to help automate high-risk and repetitive tasks. -Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, additional reporting by Kurt Hall, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Ed Osmond/Reuters