The World Cup is becoming a venue for delivering drama, controversy, and halftime entertainment straight out of science fiction.
In the showdown between Brazil and Norway, there is featured a surreal cameo from Atlas, the humanoid robot built by US robotics firm Boston Dynamics. The ultra-flexible robotic biped kicked off the second half of the game, which Norway won 2-1, by handing the match ball to a (slightly baffled-looking) referee.
Atlas also mimicked the goal celebration of towering Norway striker Erling Haaland, which sees the Manchester City player strike a meditation post— although there was no sign of the iconic "robot" celebration popularized by England legend Peter Crouch.
Atlas was one of the earliest humanoid robots to go viral, with Boston Dynamics first unveiling an earlier version of the six-foot, 200-pound android in 2013.
Since then, the company — which is now owned by Hyundai — has shown off Atlas's ability to do parkour, eerily synchronized dances, and lots and lots of backflips.
In case that wasn't surreal enough, the latest versions of the robot include fully rotational joints that allow Atlas's head, torso, and limbs to rotate 360 degrees.
Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot spotted at Brazil vs. Norway pic.twitter.com/V0cgeD5qDl
— Bearly AI (@bearlyai) July 5, 2026
Atlas' future coworkers at Hyundai's Georgia factory, where the robot is set to be deployed in the next few years, will be relieved to know that Boston Dynamics at least tried to make Atlas look friendlier than its rivals, many of which are stuck deep in the uncanny valley.
The company's former CEO, Robert Playter, told Business Insider in January that Boston Dynamics took inspiration from the Pixar lamp to avoid giving Atlas a "scary, dystopian" face.
Atlas's football debut comes as the hype around humanoid robots continues to grow. The market is still in its infancy but is expected to grow from US$ 3 billion in 2025 to US$ 28 billion in 2030, per Morgan Stanley estimates.
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