If you have a child in a UAE school, you might notice them talking a lot more about torque, sensors, and coding this month. That’s because the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is kicking off its UAE edition on January 10, 2026.
Hosted by ATLAB, this isn’t a casual building session. It’s a month-long competition involving over 3,000 students across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. The goal? Designing and programming autonomous robots to solve actual problems.
It aligns heavily with the government’s push for AI and robotics. But for parents and students, it’s mostly about seeing if those coding classes are actually paying off.
Key Takeaways
- Dates: Competition starts Jan 10, 2026; Finales on Feb 7 & 8.
- Scale: 3,134 students across 395 teams are expected to participate.
- Locations: Events planned for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah (Venues TBC).
- Categories: Divided into ‘Explore’ (ages 6-10) and ‘Challenge’ (ages 9-16).
What to Expect
The competition is split by age, and the intensity varies accordingly. It’s organised by ATLAB (part of Centena Group), alongside LEGO Education and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).
For the older kids (9-16), the Challenge category is where the pressure is. Teams have to apply engineering principles and coding to build robots that perform specific tasks. It’s time-bound, so stress levels might be high. They aren’t just building; they are strategising.
The younger group (6-10) enters the Explore category. This uses the LEGO Education SPIKE Essential Set. It’s less about “battle bots” and more about learning the basics of STEM—building models and proposing solutions to real-life problems. If you’re interested in how robotics is shaping up in the region, check out our coverage on LG’s latest robotics push for a look at where this tech eventually leads.
Dates & Schedule
The event spans roughly a month, giving teams time to refine their builds before the judging days.
- Competition Start: Saturday, January 10, 2026
- Challenge Finale (Ages 9-16): Saturday, February 7, 2026
- Explore Finale (Ages 6-10): Sunday, February 8, 2026
Specific timing for the finale days hasn’t been released yet. Usually, these are full-day affairs, so expect to block out the calendar if your child makes it to the end.
Participation & Access
This is primarily a school-led initiative. The organisers project 395 teams from various schools will take part. Unlike public festivals, you can’t just buy a ticket on Platinumlist to watch.
If you want your child involved, you need to check if their school is registered. There is no direct “individual” sign-up link provided in the current announcement. Similar to the UAE FoodTech Challenge, this is about structured competition rather than casual entry.
Locations
We know the competition covers the three main emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
However, specific venues for the finales are currently TBC. Given the number of students involved (over 3,000), expect large venues like exhibition centres or major school campuses. We will update this page once the venues are confirmed.
Category Breakdown
Here is how the two main segments compare:
| Category | Age Group | Focus | Finale Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explore | 6-10 Years | Intro to STEM, SPIKE Essential Set, Basic Coding | Feb 8, 2026 |
| Challenge | 9-16 Years | Engineering, Autonomous Coding, Time-bound tasks | Feb 7, 2026 |
Event Info
Event: FIRST LEGO League (FLL) UAE
Dates: Jan 10 – Feb 8, 2026
Location: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah (Venues TBC)
Participants: School students aged 6-16
Organiser: ATLAB