FIRST^® Tech Challenge

FIRST Championship Information

The 2026 FIRST^® Championship presented by BAE Systems will bring together over 330 FIRST^® Tech Challenge teams. This page is intended to be an overview on FIRST Championship details specific to the FIRST Tech Challenge program.

View Resource Library View Cross-Program Championship Info

Preparing for FIRST Championship

Details on how teams earn advancement to attend the FIRST Championship is available in Section 4. Advancement of our Competition Manual.

Teams should also check out the FIRST Championship Website for information that is applicable to all programs and attendees and the FIRST Championship Event Guide (coming soon) for information that is applicable to all attendees such as information about badging, Conferences, Innovation Faire, and more!

Team Schedule

View our FIRST Tech Challenge Team Schedule here!

Badging & Hotel Options

All teams traveling to FIRST Championship will be required to book their housing accommodations within those designated hotel blocks. Upon qualification for the 2026 FIRST Championship, teams will receive an email from ConferenceDirect to begin the process to book their event housing.

Find more details including available hotels on the FIRST Championship Event Housing webpage.

housing-process-steps

Robot Shipping & Packing

Teams attending the 2026 FIRST Championship can choose to either ship their robot using the FedEx voucher or hand-carry their robot to the event.

Once your team registers for FIRST Championship, you are sent an email asking if you want to bring your robot to the event yourself or ship it via the FedEx voucher. You must select one or the other, as there will be no ‘default’ option.

If you opt to hand carry your robot yourself, you must bring your 1 competition robot to FIRST Championship along with all your other pit equipment.
If you opt to ship your robot, we provide a FedEx shipping voucher and a ship-not-later than date. Teams must ship no later than that date or risk their robots not arriving at FIRST Championship in time for the event.
- Teams who chose to ship their robot must follow the Shipping Crate Instructions.
- Teams may not use a FedEx Voucher for pit equipment/other non-robot items. Using a voucher in this way is considered an abuse of the donor’s intent and generosity. If you are shipping using the FedEx voucher, only your robot, bumpers, and batteries may be in the crate. If you’d like to ship additional equipment, you must coordinate, ship, and pay for it on your own.

A big thanks to FedEx for once again sponsoring robot shipments to FIRST Championship!

Local Transportation

Details coming soon.

Pre-Event Communication

Team Emails

Event Certificate

The DECODE™ presented by RTX FIRST Championship certificate template is available here.

On-Site Championship Specifics

Find information specific to FIRST Tech Challenge. Keep scrolling for information that is relevant to all programs such as information on accessibility, lunches, and more!

Floor Plan

Floor Plan

Please see the layout of the FIRST Tech Challenge area on the 3rd floor of the George R. Brown Convention Center.

You can view the Pit Map here.

See larger image
Championship Divisions

Division Pits

Division Assignments will be available on this ftc-events page closer to the event. Each team is provided a designated pit space marked with their team number, where they can work on their robot. Each team’s pit comes with a power outlet and a table, and the pit is 120in x 120in x 120in (3.048m x 3.048m x 3.048m). Power in the pits will be US standard power which is 120-volt, 60 Hz standard outlets which are Type B sockets. International teams should plan to bring appropriate adapters to ensure they can charge their batteries.

Aisles must be kept clear for robot movement, safety, and queueing, so we suggest that team members watch the matches and cheer on the teams to prevent overflowing the pits and congregating in the aisles.

Safety glasses are recommended for all participants and any visitors in the pits and by the playing field. Teams are expected to bring safety glasses for all team members and any visitors they invite.
Judging & Awards

Judging & Awards

FIRST Tech Challenge celebrates the excitement of competition both on and off the field. Through our awards, we celebrate the FIRST Core Values which makes us so much #morethanrobots.

Pit Judging

Make sure to read our "A New Team Judging Experience for the FIRST Championship" blog post to learn about the updated judging process at FIRST Championship this year.
Load In & Out Logistics
Load In & Out Logistics
Load In

All teams must follow the Load-In process as outlined in the Team Load-In Instructions in order to bring materials into the Pits from their vehicles. Teams may only unload from the 3rd Floor Loading Dock or the North Transit Station. Teams cannot leave vehicles unattended at any time.

Team vehicles that are small personal vehicles are allowed to enter the 3rd Floor North Ramp via Chartres Street to unload directly into the venue.

Team vehicles that are oversize including charter buses, box trucks, and vehicles with trailers, will all be required to Load-In through the North Transit Station. Teams take their materials into the venue through either escalator or elevator.

It is highly recommended that teams consolidate their materials into one vehicle (or into as few vehicles as possible) to reduce overall wait times for all teams.

Load Out

All teams must follow the Load-Out processes as outlined in the Team Load Out Instructions in order to carry out materials from the Pits to their vehicles. Additionally, Load Out rules change the way on how a team's robot will return from Championship.

Teams that shipped their robot to FIRST Championship must visit the FIRST Ship Desk prior to Load Out, regardless of if they are shipping their robot home or will change to Hand-Carry home. Teams that Hand-Carry their robot to FIRST Championship do not need to visit the FIRST Ship Desk.

Please be respectful of other teams and the public on your departure, leave your area clean and be safe. Once your team has finished competing in the matches on Saturday, have a Mentor visit Pit Admin to confirm the team's intent to Load Out. The mentor will be given an Access Code which can be given to the team vehicle's driver. The team vehicle may then enter the same area used to Load In: either the 3rd floor North Ramp via Chartres Street or the North Transit Station. Once the driver is in place, they can let the team know to bring all materials out to load. Vehicles without access codes will not be allowed to queue.
Practice Fields

Practice Fields

There will be 14 Practice Fields in the Pit area, with 6 of those fields on risers.
Queuing

Queuing

Teams are responsible for knowing their match schedule and are expected to queue 20 minutes prior to their matches. Teams should plan for a minimum of 10 minutes to travel to move from their pit space to the playing fields. No audible announcements will be made for teams who are missing from their matches.

While FIRST will make every attempt to run matches per the published schedule, teams should pay close attention to the currently playing matches. There will be “now queuing” TVs located in several locations around the venue.

FIRST will be using the FTC Nexus application at the 2026 Championship Event. Nexus is a web-based application, developed by Evan Forbes, and has been widely used since 2023. Nexus is not owned or managed by FIRST, and personal data (PII) collected by Nexus is not covered by the FIRST Privacy Policy. Participants should always review the privacy practices of third-party sites and applications before submitting any personal data. The Nexus Privacy Policy can be found on their website.

Nexus allows teams to sign up and receive notifications of their upcoming matches, which helps teams manage their time and makes teams aware of potential field delays.

It's important to note that while all 6 divisions will be using Nexus, it is completely optional for teams to opt-in to receiving notifications. The pit displays will still be available and will show the current match and how far ahead/behind the field is running. Teams that choose to opt-in to receive notifications from Nexus are still responsible for making it to their matches on time. Matches will not be postponed or replayed because of a delayed or missed notification from Nexus.
Robot Services

Robot Services

Robot Services covers opportunities to get support and help during the event.

Inspection:

Information coming soon

Robot Service Center:

Information coming soon
da Vinci Tournament

da Vinci Tournament

The 6 Division winning alliances are known as Division Champions. These teams compete in the da Vinci Tournament.

Floor Plan

Please see the layout of the FIRST Tech Challenge area on the 3rd floor of the George R. Brown Convention Center.

You can view the Pit Map here.

See larger image

Division Pits

Division Assignments will be available on this ftc-events page closer to the event. Each team is provided a designated pit space marked with their team number, where they can work on their robot. Each team’s pit comes with a power outlet and a table, and the pit is 120in x 120in x 120in (3.048m x 3.048m x 3.048m). Power in the pits will be US standard power which is 120-volt, 60 Hz standard outlets which are Type B sockets. International teams should plan to bring appropriate adapters to ensure they can charge their batteries.

Aisles must be kept clear for robot movement, safety, and queueing, so we suggest that team members watch the matches and cheer on the teams to prevent overflowing the pits and congregating in the aisles.

Safety glasses are recommended for all participants and any visitors in the pits and by the playing field. Teams are expected to bring safety glasses for all team members and any visitors they invite.

Judging & Awards

FIRST Tech Challenge celebrates the excitement of competition both on and off the field. Through our awards, we celebrate the FIRST Core Values which makes us so much #morethanrobots.

Pit Judging

Make sure to read our "A New Team Judging Experience for the FIRST Championship" blog post to learn about the updated judging process at FIRST Championship this year.

Load In & Out Logistics

Load In

All teams must follow the Load-In process as outlined in the Team Load-In Instructions in order to bring materials into the Pits from their vehicles. Teams may only unload from the 3rd Floor Loading Dock or the North Transit Station. Teams cannot leave vehicles unattended at any time.

Team vehicles that are small personal vehicles are allowed to enter the 3rd Floor North Ramp via Chartres Street to unload directly into the venue.
Team vehicles that are oversize including charter buses, box trucks, and vehicles with trailers, will all be required to Load-In through the North Transit Station. Teams take their materials into the venue through either escalator or elevator.
It is highly recommended that teams consolidate their materials into one vehicle (or into as few vehicles as possible) to reduce overall wait times for all teams.

Load Out

All teams must follow the Load-Out processes as outlined in the Team Load Out Instructions in order to carry out materials from the Pits to their vehicles. Additionally, Load Out rules change the way on how a team's robot will return from Championship.

Teams that shipped their robot to FIRST Championship must visit the FIRST Ship Desk prior to Load Out, regardless of if they are shipping their robot home or will change to Hand-Carry home. Teams that Hand-Carry their robot to FIRST Championship do not need to visit the FIRST Ship Desk.

Please be respectful of other teams and the public on your departure, leave your area clean and be safe. Once your team has finished competing in the matches on Saturday, have a Mentor visit Pit Admin to confirm the team's intent to Load Out. The mentor will be given an Access Code which can be given to the team vehicle's driver. The team vehicle may then enter the same area used to Load In: either the 3rd floor North Ramp via Chartres Street or the North Transit Station. Once the driver is in place, they can let the team know to bring all materials out to load. Vehicles without access codes will not be allowed to queue.

Practice Fields

There will be 14 Practice Fields in the Pit area, with 6 of those fields on risers.

Queuing

Teams are responsible for knowing their match schedule and are expected to queue 20 minutes prior to their matches. Teams should plan for a minimum of 10 minutes to travel to move from their pit space to the playing fields. No audible announcements will be made for teams who are missing from their matches.

While FIRST will make every attempt to run matches per the published schedule, teams should pay close attention to the currently playing matches. There will be “now queuing” TVs located in several locations around the venue.

FIRST will be using the FTC Nexus application at the 2026 Championship Event. Nexus is a web-based application, developed by Evan Forbes, and has been widely used since 2023. Nexus is not owned or managed by FIRST, and personal data (PII) collected by Nexus is not covered by the FIRST Privacy Policy. Participants should always review the privacy practices of third-party sites and applications before submitting any personal data. The Nexus Privacy Policy can be found on their website.

Nexus allows teams to sign up and receive notifications of their upcoming matches, which helps teams manage their time and makes teams aware of potential field delays.

It's important to note that while all 6 divisions will be using Nexus, it is completely optional for teams to opt-in to receiving notifications. The pit displays will still be available and will show the current match and how far ahead/behind the field is running. Teams that choose to opt-in to receive notifications from Nexus are still responsible for making it to their matches on time. Matches will not be postponed or replayed because of a delayed or missed notification from Nexus.

Robot Services

Robot Services covers opportunities to get support and help during the event.

Inspection:

Information coming soon

Robot Service Center:

Information coming soon

da Vinci Tournament

The 6 Division winning alliances are known as Division Champions. These teams compete in the da Vinci Tournament.

Additional On-Site Information

Accessibility
Accessibility

Accessible Seating - Accessible seating is available for all fields. If your team needs accessible seating, please indicate this when you register for badging to help us with planning. There will be space for the person in need plus up to 3 additional members from their team. Due to space constraints, most of the team will need to sit in the reserved stands behind the accessible seating. If a student is the one in need, we ask that at least 1 adult sits in the reserved area.

Please see a volunteer for directions to seating.

Accessible Pits - If your team would like to request an accessible pit, please fill out this form. Teams may submit accessible pit requests no later than April 22, 2026. Late requests will be considered on an "as available" basis for requests submitted between April 23 and April 26.  FIRST  may not be able to accommodate all requests. If more accessible pits are requested than are available, accessible pits will be assigned randomly. Pit assignments will be made no later than April 27, 2026.

Accessible Restrooms - Single stall restrooms are available at the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB).  Locations of these restrooms can be found on the  FIRST Championship map located in the FIRST Championship App or in the maps above.

Lactation Pods - Two Mamava lactation pods are conveniently located on the North and South side of Mezzanine Level 2. Nursing parents can access these private, clean, and comfortable spaces to breastfeed or pump using the free Mamava app available on the Apple iOS Store or Google Play Store.

Prayer Rooms - There will be two prayer rooms available for anyone wishing to observe religious practice onsite during event hours. These rooms are located across the skybridge in the Marriott Marquis Hotel; Montgomery A&B.

Quiet Room - A Quiet Room is available for those participants who need a decreased noise space. The Quiet Room is located on Level 3 of the George R. Brown Convention Center, room 362CF. If you would like to donate items (things like playing cards, board games, stress balls, puzzles) for the room, please bring them to the Quiet Room. The Quiet Room hours are:

Wednesday: 8 AM - 6 PM

Thursday: 8 AM - 6 PM

Friday: 8 AM - 6 PM

Saturday: 8 AM - 6 PM
Meals & Breaks

Meals & Breaks

Concessions

There are concessions located within the convention center, with many food options around the George R. Brown Convention Center as well. Local food trucks will be around Discovery Green. View a list of nearby restaurants.

The food kiosks at the George R Brown Convention Center are cashless and will only accept debit and credit cards.

Lunch Breaks

Each division is assigned a 1 hour 30-minute break for lunch on Thursday and Friday. Teams should listen carefully to announcements on each Division Field, as some matches are replayed during the Lunch Break.

On Saturday, all Division Fields will break from the end of the Division Field Playoffs until 1:30 PM.
Parking

Parking

Parking is available around the George R. Brown Convention Center, see Downtown Houston Parking webpage for more information.

Accessibility

Accessible Seating - Accessible seating is available for all fields. If your team needs accessible seating, please indicate this when you register for badging to help us with planning. There will be space for the person in need plus up to 3 additional members from their team. Due to space constraints, most of the team will need to sit in the reserved stands behind the accessible seating. If a student is the one in need, we ask that at least 1 adult sits in the reserved area.
- Please see a volunteer for directions to seating.
Accessible Pits - If your team would like to request an accessible pit, please fill out this form. Teams may submit accessible pit requests no later than April 22, 2026. Late requests will be considered on an "as available" basis for requests submitted between April 23 and April 26.  FIRST  may not be able to accommodate all requests. If more accessible pits are requested than are available, accessible pits will be assigned randomly. Pit assignments will be made no later than April 27, 2026.
Accessible Restrooms - Single stall restrooms are available at the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB).  Locations of these restrooms can be found on the  FIRST Championship map located in the FIRST Championship App or in the maps above.
Lactation Pods - Two Mamava lactation pods are conveniently located on the North and South side of Mezzanine Level 2. Nursing parents can access these private, clean, and comfortable spaces to breastfeed or pump using the free Mamava app available on the Apple iOS Store or Google Play Store.
Prayer Rooms - There will be two prayer rooms available for anyone wishing to observe religious practice onsite during event hours. These rooms are located across the skybridge in the Marriott Marquis Hotel; Montgomery A&B.
Quiet Room - A Quiet Room is available for those participants who need a decreased noise space. The Quiet Room is located on Level 3 of the George R. Brown Convention Center, room 362CF. If you would like to donate items (things like playing cards, board games, stress balls, puzzles) for the room, please bring them to the Quiet Room. The Quiet Room hours are:
- Wednesday: 8 AM - 6 PM
- Thursday: 8 AM - 6 PM
- Friday: 8 AM - 6 PM
- Saturday: 8 AM - 6 PM

Meals & Breaks

Concessions

There are concessions located within the convention center, with many food options around the George R. Brown Convention Center as well. Local food trucks will be around Discovery Green. View a list of nearby restaurants.

The food kiosks at the George R Brown Convention Center are cashless and will only accept debit and credit cards.

Lunch Breaks

Each division is assigned a 1 hour 30-minute break for lunch on Thursday and Friday. Teams should listen carefully to announcements on each Division Field, as some matches are replayed during the Lunch Break.

On Saturday, all Division Fields will break from the end of the Division Field Playoffs until 1:30 PM.

Parking

Parking is available around the George R. Brown Convention Center, see Downtown Houston Parking webpage for more information.