FIRST Robotics Competition
EAST BAY
California District Qualifying Event
April 2-4, 2026 | Berkeley, CA
BERKELEY HIGH SCHOOL
ROBOTS
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Countdown!
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The Ultimate Sport for the MindTM
Starting with a Kit of Parts, teams of high school students design, program, and build industrial-sized robots to play an action-packed game, released in January. They compete on a themed field as part of a three-team alliance in the spirit of Coopertition®.
In 360-degree learning guided by adult mentors, each FIRST Robotics Competition team also creates a team identity, raises funds to meet its goals, and advances appreciation for STEM in its community.
Join the Fun!
April 3-4, 2026
The California District East Bay Qualifying Event is a high-energy, high-tech spectator sporting event where teams, professionals and young people together solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. The program is life-changing, career-molding and a lot of fun.
Spectators welcome April 3-4, 2026! Catch the excitement of this intense competition, tour the pits to visit with teams and robots, and cheer on their favorite teams. Admission is free.
Teams will vie for awards and a spot at the FIRST California Northern or Southern State Championship. The competition is part of FIRST, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.
FIRST is Fueled By Volunteers
For 35+ years, FIRST volunteers have fueled the mission by inspiring millions of young people to reach for the stars. You are part of a global support system we’ve built for students who need a spark of curiosity and encouragement to launch their dreams. Together, we’re inspiring the next generation of innovators, technology leaders, and change-makers.
A Volunteer Role for Everyone!
Non-Technical and Technical Roles Available
EXAMPLES OF ROLES:
Field Reset, Volunteer Check, Practice Field Attendant, Replacement Parts, Robot Inspector and more!
Get Live Scan Fingerprinted at East Bay
To volunteer in Califonia, this is a requirement.
Saturday: 4/3/26 – 2pm – 4pm
FIRST Robotics Competition – East Bay District Event, 2026
From April 2–4, Berkeley High School came alive with innovation, energy, and teamwork as more than 1,200 students and 40 robotics teams gathered for the FIRST Robotics Competition East Bay District Event. Over three action-packed days, students designed, built, and...
FIRST Robotics Competition – East Bay Regional
The FIRST Robotics Competition East Bay Regional, held April 3-6, 2025, closed out 6 weeks of Regionals with a high-energy, community-driven event that brought together 55 teams and 1600+ students from California, Hawaii, Turkiye, Brazil, and Australia. Here are a few...
Thank You To Our Generous Sponsors!
WAYS TO SPONSOR
SUPPORT THE EAST BAY QUALIFYING EVENT
To discuss sponsorship opportunities and benefits of sponsorship, please contact FIRST California Senior Regional Director, Luan Heimlich, through the Contact Form at the bottom of this page.
Welcome to FIRST® AGE™ presented by Qualcomm, our 2025-2026 robotics season inspired by archaeology.
In REBUILT™ presented by Haas, a new challenge releasing January 10, 2026, FIRST Robotics Competition teams will use engineering skills and re-imagine the past.
Resources for Teams
Coming soon!
February 28, 2023 –
COVID Policy and Event Entry:
The event will be open to the public this year, and we do not plan to have any COVID restrictions. Masks are absolutely welcome, and teams and spectators should feel perfectly comfortable choosing to wear them.
September 9, 2022 – We are continuing to monitor local public health conditions and are developing plans on how to best support FIRST events across all programs for the 2022 – 2023 Season. This includes the ability to implement modifications such as the use of masks, health screening, event scaling, social distancing, event formatting, and other precautions as determined by local conditions and regulations.
Providing opportunities for hands-on learning and recognizing our teams’ incredible accomplishments are key elements to the lasting impact of FIRST. We remain committed to deliver our programs to as many students as possible, as safely as possible.
This space will be updated with more details as the season progresses.
We thank you for your continued support for our mission as we navigate the season together!
ADA ACCESS:
Please contact Luan at lheimlich@firstinspires.org prior to your arrival if you need any special assistance.
LET’S CONNECT!
FIRST CALIFORNIA SOCIAL MEDIA