The 2028 World Robot Olympiad International Final will bring student teams from around the world to Cape Town in the first edition of the event ever held in Africa.
Cape Town, South Africa (22 September 2026)- South Africa is about to become a major meeting point for some of the brightest young robotics minds in the world.
Cape Town will host the 2028 World Robot Olympiad International Final, marking the first time the prestigious global youth robotics competition will be held on African soil.
The event will bring together top-performing student teams from around the world, with the Cape Town International Convention Centre set to host the competition in the second week of December 2028.
And South Africa has more than earned its place on the global robotics map.
Since the national World Robot Olympiad competition launched in 2010, participation has grown from around 40 teams to approximately 1,800 teams in 2025.
The international final itself is a huge event. Last year’s competition in Singapore attracted 595 teams from 91 countries, giving young competitors the opportunity to test their skills against some of the best teams from across the globe.
Hosting the event means they will get to experience that level of international competition on home soil.
Danie Heymans, National Organiser of WRO South Africa, said the aim now is to use the opportunity to bring even more young people into robotics and STEM.
South Africa is already making its mark within the international WRO community, too. Local judges have made up around one in four international judges at recent WRO finals, giving South African educators valuable experience that they can bring back into schools and local competitions.
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WRO South Africa already has participation across all nine provinces, but organisers want to reach more schools and communities that have traditionally been underrepresented in robotics competitions.
Claus Ditlev Christensen, Secretary General of the World Robot Olympiad Association, said South Africa’s growing participation and contribution to the international community made Cape Town a natural next host.
And when the world’s young robotics stars arrive in Cape Town in 2028, they’ll be competing on a continent that is getting increasingly serious about producing its own.
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