16 students and 1 faculty member participated in the RoboCup Japan Open 2025 held at Shiga Daihatsu Arena on May 3~5, Reiwa 7. As a result, our KIKS team ranked second (first among domestic teams) in the Small Soccer Robot League (SSL) for the fourth consecutive year since 2022.
This year’s SSL was contested by a total of nine teams, including two overseas teams, the German TIGERs, who have won the world championship four times in a row since 2021, and the Thai Orcabots, who are participating in the Japan Open for the first time. The SSL qualifiers were divided into two groups: 5 teams in Group A and 4 teams in Group B.
We drew 0-0 against Green Tea on the first day of the Group B qualifiers, won 10-0 against Orcabots (Thammasat University, Thailand) the next day, and won 2-0 against our long-time rivals RoboDragons (Aichi Prefectural University), the team that won last year’s Japan Open. As a result, they finished first in Group B of the preliminary round and advanced to the final tournament. In the semi-finals, they faced Ibis (working adults), who finished second in Group A, and although the score was a 1-1 draw, they won the match with the number of yellow cards and advanced to the final. In the other semi-final, as expected, the 1st place TIGERs in Group A (Baden-Württemburg Co-State University, Germany) defeated the 2nd place RoboDragons in Group B by a score of 10-0. In the final match, the TIGERs had 11 robots, while the KIKS team, which had a series of breakdowns, had a numerical disadvantage of 8~6 robots, but in the first half of the match, they played well with a solid defense and ended the match 0-0. However, in the second half of the match, they succumbed to the excellent coordination play of the TIGERs, who were gradually improving their form, and lost 0-3 and finished as runners-up. In third place was Ibis, who won the match against RoboDragons 1-0.
In this tournament, the performance improved with each match, and the team showed a nice game that was worth watching. The final match was a match that made me wish the number of robots had been the same. I would like to commend the students who did their best in the circumstances. Although I qualified for the World Championships scheduled to be held in Brazil in July, I unfortunately declined to participate due to high travel expenses and security concerns. However, it was a valuable opportunity for the students to see many wonderful robots, controls, and strategies up close, including the robot of the TIGERs team that won the competition. In anticipation of our success at the 2026 World Championships scheduled to be held in Incheon (South Korea), we will continue to make further efforts. The results of this competition can be found here.
Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to the Educational Support Association, the Student Affairs Division, and the faculty and staff of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering for their kindness and support for my participation in the RoboCup Japan Open. Thank you very much.
Participants: 2D NONOYAMA Mizuki, 1D TAKANASHI Chihiro, 1D DORI Yota, 1D MIYAUCHI Takahiro, 5E KONO Taisei, 4E KATO Masato, 4E KITAGAWA Takuma, 4E HAYASHI Isami, 4E BAN Rukito, 4E YOSHIOKA Haruto, 3E KAIBUCHI Soma, 3E KAWAKAMI Akito, 3E NAITO Chiaki, 3E HONBO Yu, 2E MORI Kanna, 2E YATOMI Ryoma, Teachers: SUGIURA Toko
[Match with nemesis RoboDragons]
[After the award ceremony, all the members pose with a smile]
[Commemorative photo with the German TIGERs team after the final match]
[Robot adjustment during halftime of the final]
[Scene of the scramble for the ball with TIGERs]