Kazakhstan names robotics team for FIRST Global Challenge 2026 as it eyes fifth straight win
Kazakhstan has selected its national robotics team for the FIRST Global Challenge 2026, with five school students set to represent the country at the international championship in Incheon, South Korea, as Kazakhstan seeks a fifth consecutive victory, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Kazakh Ministry of Enlightenment.
The national selection round concluded in Astana on August 26, with the winning team comprising students from Specialized Lyceum No. 92 named after Mahatma Gandhi and Gymnasium No. 159 named after Ybyrai Altynsarin in Almaty.
The national team includes: Arnur Abdulla, Aspandiyar Berdali, Nurtas Serik, Yerassyl Yendibai, Hussein Maksut.
The national selection was held from August 24 to 26 at the Kazakh National University of Sports in Astana. Around 40 teams from across Kazakhstan, along with guest teams from Uzbekistan, took part in the competition.
This year’s FIRST Global Challenge is held under the theme “Igniting Innovation.” Participants are tasked with developing engineering and technological solutions to prevent forest fires, mitigate their impact and help restore affected areas.
The competition also tests students’ programming skills, engineering thinking and ability to work as a team.
The FIRST Global Challenge 2026 world championship is scheduled to take place in Incheon from October 7 to 10, bringing together school students from more than 190 countries.
Starting in 2026, FIRST Global Challenge has been included in Kazakhstan’s list of international scientific project competitions whose winners and prizewinners may qualify for the Bolashak International Scholarship under the bachelor’s degree category.
Kazakhstan has established a strong record at the competition, with its national team winning the FIRST Global Challenge four consecutive times from 2022 to 2025.
The victories came at the world championships in Geneva in 2022, Singapore in 2023, Greece in 2024 and Panama in 2025. According to the Kazakh Enlightenment Ministry, the four consecutive titles make Kazakhstan the leading country in the history of the FIRST Global Challenge.
