RoboCup is an international initiative designed to advance research and education in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence through a diverse set of competitive platforms, including RoboCup Soccer, RoboCupRescue, RoboCup @Home, RoboCup Industrial, and RoboCup Junior. These competitions primarily focus on multi-robot systems and real-world inspired challenges.
Within RoboCup Soccer, multiple leagues address distinct scientific and engineering problems. The Standard Platform League (SPL) is one of the most prominent examples, defined by strict hardware uniformity: all teams operate on an identical robot platform. This setup shifts the competitive focus entirely toward software, perception, planning, and control. In the SPL, researchers concentrate on developing fully autonomous behaviors, while also evaluating performance through specialized technical challenges.
At RoboCup 2025, SPL soccer matches will be played exclusively using humanoid NAO robots produced by Aldebaran. Teams may operate V6, V5, or earlier NAO versions. A key operational requirement is adaptability: teams must be able to configure and deploy on a randomly assigned field within a one-hour preparation window.
The 2025 SPL season includes a full soccer competition, a series of technical challenges, and the introduction of long-term performance leaderboards. The soccer tournament will follow a structure similar to previous years, with games distributed across the two established divisions: the Champions Cup (CC) and the Challenge Shield (CS). CC teams may field up to 7 robots per side, while CS teams are limited to 5.
Beyond match play, several technical challenges are planned to expand the research scope of the league. These include the “KICKin & Rollin” challenge, which focuses on optimized kicking of a rolling ball; an open research challenge aimed at encouraging novel contributions beyond core gameplay; and a planned cross-league challenge developed in collaboration with the humanoid league, continuing concepts similar to earlier passing experiments. Starting in 2025, long-term leaderboards will also track team progress across key capabilities over multiple years, building a structured historical performance record.
The league remains open to new participants. Prospective teams are encouraged to engage with organizers and existing teams for guidance. To support adoption of NAO V6 hardware, example code and documentation are made available via the SPL community. Additional access to RoboCup NAOqi images and detailed documentation can be requested via [email protected], provided team affiliation and intent are clearly stated.
Qualification Process
Teams not pre-qualified must submit an application to the Technical Committee including several mandatory elements. These include a Team Description Paper (TDP), a stated preference for either the Champions Cup or Challenge Shield division (with flexibility indicated if applicable), and a video presentation demonstrating team readiness. The video should focus on actual soccer capability and must include clear identification of team robots. Simulation-based submissions are accepted only when hardware is unavailable, though real robot demonstrations are strongly preferred. Applicants must also specify planned NAO robot acquisition numbers for the season.
Pre-qualified teams—based on top placements in prior competitions or technical challenges—are exempt from the video requirement but must still submit full documentation. A defined list of teams, including Bembelbots, B-Human, HTWK Robots, and others, may apply under pre-qualification status. In cases where teams have split, only one successor team may retain pre-qualified status.
The Team Description Paper itself must follow strict formatting requirements aligned with Springer LNCS guidelines, be limited to eight pages, and include structured sections covering team information, code usage, original contributions, unpublished results, research impact, and additional supporting details. Teams are required to disclose any use of external code and clearly distinguish their own scientific contributions.
All submissions must be delivered via email by the stated deadline and must not include video attachments. By submitting, teams grant permission for publication of their materials within official RoboCup archives.
Evaluation criteria emphasize three main dimensions: competitive potential, scientific contribution to the league, and diversity of participation. Since 2023, source code release of novel contributions has become mandatory to encourage transparency and collective progress across the community.
Final division assignments into CC or CS are made by the organizing committee based on application strength and prior performance, with preference considered but not guaranteed.
Additional Participation Path
Teams interested only in regional opens may submit a simplified intent to participate. This pathway supports early-stage involvement and may also influence eligibility for future hardware pricing programs, subject to evolving policy decisions.
All qualification materials must be submitted by the official deadline via [email protected]. Applications are treated as a formal commitment to participate, and late withdrawal after registration may negatively affect future eligibility. Joint team submissions are encouraged and evaluated on combined merit.
Selection decisions are based on competitive readiness, scientific contribution, and team diversity, with final announcements made shortly after the review period concludes.