Hyundai Motor Company used a FIFA World Cup 2026 match at New York/New Jersey Stadium as a public platform to showcase Boston Dynamic humanoid Atlas. The demonstration took place during halftime of a Round of 16 match, where Atlas appeared in the player tunnel before performing a sequence of football goal celebrations associated with players including Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Matheus Cunha and Son Heung-min. The robot later delivered the ceremonial match ball to the referee before the second half.
Hyundai, which is serving as the tournament’s Official Robotics Partner, presented the appearance as part of its broader effort to link its automotive brand with robotics and future mobility technologies. The company owns Boston Dynamics through Hyundai Motor Group and has been expanding its public messaging around robotics, autonomous systems and related technologies.
The World Cup appearance gave Hyundai a high-visibility setting for Atlas beyond technology exhibitions or controlled demonstrations. According to the company, the robot used retargeting technology to adapt human movements, reinforcement learning to train actions through simulations, and whole-body control to coordinate balance and motion.
Sungwon Jee, executive vice president and global chief marketing officer at Hyundai Motor Company, said the use of Atlas formed part of Hyundai’s “Next Starts Now” campaign and reflected the company’s interest in presenting robotics as part of future mobility and daily life.
Alberto Rodriguez, director of robotics behavior at Boston Dynamics, said the team used movements inspired by football, gymnastics, dancing and parkour to train Atlas for the event. He said the training approach used for the performance is related to methods used to prepare robots for industrial tasks.
The activation is part of Hyundai’s wider World Cup marketing programme. The company also plans to release related video content, including “The Training Ground,” a documentary-style advertising feature produced with BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions.
For Hyundai, the event positioned one of the world’s most-watched sporting tournaments as a showcase for its robotics ambitions, placing Atlas in front of a mass audience as the group seeks to associate its brand with technologies beyond passenger vehicles.
