FLL-C: 2026 Arizona FLL Challenge State Championship
Tournament Director: Rick Kale
Volunteer Coordinator: Justin Ivey
Head Referee: Rich Gomez
Judge Advisor: Nancy Okabe
Link to Event Livestream
Livestream is presented by the Arizona FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team 2403 Plasma Robotics. Thank you for your support!
Thank you to our sponsors!
The 2026 Arizona FIRST LEGO League State Championship is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and the continued leadership of Arizona State University. Together with our sponsors, ASU helps create an inclusive, high-quality experience for hundreds of students, coaches, volunteers, and families from across Arizona. Their support enables us to:
- Reduce financial barriers so more teams can participate
- Provide event infrastructure, awards, and materials
- Support educator development and student engagement
- Celebrate creativity, teamwork, and innovation
We are grateful for our sponsors’ partnership with ASU and FIRST in advancing STEM education and empowering Arizona’s youth. Your investment makes a lasting impact—both in this championship and in the futures of the students we serve.
What To Bring
Packing List for FLL events
Awnings are allowed in the gym to decorate your pit as long as they measure no more than 10′ X 10′.
Consider these additional items for the state championship:
– Folding chairs, tables and/or awning for the grassy area
– Outdoor games
Parking
Parking at the ASU West Valley campus is done through the AMP Park mobile app. To save time upon arrival on campus, you can download the app now and pre-load information about your vehicle(s). You can download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Also, there are QR codes displayed on lamp posts (check both sides of the lamp posts to find the QR code). You have in-and-out privileges once you pay your parking fee, as long as you park in the same general area.
Spectators may use Parking Lot 2 (south) and Parking Lots 10, 11, 12 (north).
Map of parking in lots 10, 11, and 12 on the West Valley campus.
Directions to the University Center Building using Google Maps
Directions to the pits in the Sun Devil Fitness Complex using Google Maps
Attendance
Everyone is welcome to attend. FIRST events are always free and open to the public. Please ensure that your guests comply with parking fees on the ASU campus.
Based on RSVPs, we expect more attendees than the LaSala Ballroom’s holding capacity in the University Center Building. This may be a problem for the closing ceremony. We will be livestreaming the entire day of robot competitions, including the opening and closing ceremonies. Even if we are forced to limit the number of audience members in the ballroom, everyone will be able to watch the award ceremony online or on large TVs in the pit area.
Check-in
Team check-in is from 7:00 to 8:00 am in the Sun Devil Fitness Complex. It is located just south of the large grassy area.
Directions to the pits in the Sun Devil Fitness Complex using Google Maps
At check-in, you will receive a team packet that will include:
- Updated General Schedule
- Team schedule for one practice match, three official robot matches, and one 30-minute judging session
- Peer Award nomination forms
- Coach/Mentor nomination forms
Wi-Fi Access
How Do I Connect to ASU Guest Wireless?
General Schedule
This event is highly scripted around time. Judging sessions have priority over robot game match. Please arrive at least 5 minutes before your judging session or robot game match. Think of it as boarding time vs pushback from gate … you do not want to miss your flight! Robot rounds will likely run faster once judging sessions are completed.
The final and official schedule will be posted here and included in your team packet.
| Time | Session |
| 7:00 – 8:00 am | Registration and Team check-in, SDFC lobby |
| 8:00 – 8:20 am | Coaches Meeting, Kiva Lecture Hall |
| 8:30 – 8:45 am | Opening Ceremony, LaSala Ballroom, University Center Building |
| 8:45 am | Robot Game – Practice Round, LaSala Ballroom, University Center Building – Teams in matches 1 and 2 will be sitting next to their table during the opening ceremony – Teams in matches 3 and 4 will be queued |
| 9:00 am | Judging Sessions start, SANDS building classrooms |
| 10:15 am | Robot Game – Official Rounds start |
| 1:00 pm | Coach/Mentor and Peer Nomination forms due to Pit Admin in the gym |
| Lunch Break | Any gap between your team’s scheduled sessions |
| 2:30 – 3:30 pm | Clean up pits and use Coopertition to help with general clean up. See Pit Admin for a team task. |
| 3:00 pm until start of Closing Ceremony | Resolution Copper representatives will be giving away gifts in the lobby of the University Center Building |
| 3:30 – 4:00 pm | Elaine will present the new FIRST LEGO League Future Edition and answer your questions, LaSala Ballroom |
| ~4:30 pm | Closing Ceremony start (we will start as soon as we can … don’t wander far), LaSala Ballroom, University Center Building |
Upload your photos
We will create a fun slideshow of Arizona FLL teams. Upload your photos to this shared Google folder.
Advancement
Arizona was awarded 5 6 advancement opportunities as listed below. Note that we often receive additional opportunities to travel out of state, sometimes as late as April. We recommend that you do not disassemble your robot and Innovation Project until June 2026, just in case.
- FIRST World Championship in Houston, TX (April 29 – May 2, 2026). (Link to event details)
- FIRST LEGO League Western Edge Open Invitational (May 29-June 1, 2026) in Long Beach, CA (Link to event details)
- FIRST LEGO League Georgia Open Invitational (June 5-7, 2026) in Atlanta, GA. (Link to event details)
- FIRST LEGO League WAFFLE – WPI Open Invitational (June 12-14, 2026) (Link to event details)
- FIRST LEGO League Open International Canada Cup of Robotics Niagara 2026 (June 17-20, 2026) in Niagara Falls, ON, Canada. (Link to event details)
- 5th Annual American Robotics Invitational (June 6-7, 2026) in Madison, NJ (Link to event details)
Virtual Coaches’ Meeting (held 1/6/2026)
Video Recording
Rick’s Slides
Participation Rules
Please take note of the following participation rules for the Arizona state championship:
COMPETITIVE TEAM PARTICIPATION RULES:
A competitive team consists of at least two (2) and a maximum of ten (10) children.
Proper adult supervision is required as described in the FIRST Youth Protection Policy.
Team members are between the minimum and maximum age or grade allowed in their region. Participants must not be younger than 9 years old or older than 14 years old for US/Canada. (If you have a student member who does not fit the age requirements, please contact Elaine.)
All team members attending an event must participate in the judging session and be present at the Robot Game matches.
COMPETITIVE TEAM AWARDS/ADVANCEMENT:
Team members’ work must conform to the parameters and rules outlined in the Challenge Overview, Engineering Notebook, and Robot Game Rulebook.
Failure to participate in official robot matches or in your judging session may affect your team’s consideration for awards and/or advancement. If your robot is experiencing technical issues (it happens!!), please communicate with the field manager or head referee to make alternative arrangements. Never skip an official robot match, as this will mean 0 points for the match and a score of 0 for Gracious Professionalism. A robot that passes inspection but does not move at all will earn 80 points for the match! See Rule 24 and the last paragraph on page 18 of the Robot Game Rulebook.
The local Program Delivery Partner (Elaine), Event Administrator (Rick), Judge Advisor (Nancy), or Head Referee (Rich) determines if the teams have met the requirements for awards.
Teams, coaches, and supporters at official events are expected to demonstrate Core Values and Gracious Professionalism.
Useful links
UNEARTHED Season Materials – for a full list of season documents
Rubrics
Judging Session Flow Chart
Judging Session Script and Questions
Awards
Awards and Allocation
Your team packet will include a paper Coach/Mentor Nomination form. But if you want the students to fill one out ahead of time, you may use the following forms:
Coach/Mentor Nomination Form (PDF)
Coach/Mentor Nomination Form (Fillable Version)
On-Campus Food Options
Food Truck
A coffee food truck will be on-site at 7 AM. The truck will be located on the walkway between SDFC and UCB. You won’t miss it since it will be right between the pits and the competition fields!
In the University Center Building (UCB)
Chick-Fil-A
– Breakfast 7 am – 10:30 am. Coffee is available.
– Lunch 10:30 am – 4 pm
– They will have a pop-up station with pre-made meals to supplement their on-campus kitchen.
Qdoba
Wild Blue Sushi (tentative since they may or may not open for us due to the event being on a Saturday)
Café West
– pre-made grab-and-go
– opens at 7 am
In the Verde Dining Pavilion (VRDE)
Papa John’s
– open 11 am – 5 pm
P.O.D. Market
– grab-and-go
– opens at 9 am
Jamba Juice
– open 10 am – 5 pm
Verde Dining Pavilion
– all-you-can-eat dining hall
– Weekend Brunch will be served on Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm
– Light Lunch will be served from 2 pm – 4:30 pm
2025 AZ FLL Challenge Tournament video
If you want to know what to expect at the Arizona FLL Challenge State Championship, you can view the livestream from the SUBMERGED season.