FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore

2026 FIRST^® Championship Update

Hi Friend,

Coming to you from FIRST^® LEGO^® League Headquarters in Manchester, NH, USA.

Welcome World Festival Teams:

This is the first email blast for the FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore World Festival at the FIRST^® Championship presented by BAE Systems in Houston, TX, USA.

From April 29 - May 2, teams from around the world will be together in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Many activities are in the works to encourage teams to visit and support the other FIRST programs – we will share information about these activities with you in the coming weeks. 

We’ll be sharing important event information in these email blasts. Please read ALL provided information as it may pertain to your team and/or travel arrangements.

What's New?

📓 Event Guide and Schedule
Teams are expected to arrive and set up their pits on Thursday, April 30, with an optional early bird check-in on Wednesday, April 29, at 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 30:
⛏️ 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Team Check-in and Pit Set-up
⛏️ 4:30 p.m. Pits Close

A downloadable Event Guide and schedule will be available soon. 

📓 Consent and Release Forms
The FIRST Consent and Release form is required for every team member, coach, and mentor participating at FIRST Championship. The form must be signed by a legal parent or guardian of anyone under 18, or the student may not be able to participate in the event.

Coaches or mentors may not complete the form for team members unless they are the legal parent or guardian of the team members.

Teams outside of the U.S. and Canada must have participants complete a Consent and Release Form for every adult coach and mentor, and every student on their team by April 2, 2026.

Refer to your welcome email for more information and a link to the form. You should share the link to this form with a parent or guardian of all youth team members for completion.

Be sure all persons completing the form list your World Festival registration team number (starting with 3xxxx) in the “Team Number” cell.

Teams from the U.S. and Canada must be prepared to present an official printed roster that demonstrates all team members have met this requirement.

📓 Action May Be Required – Traveling Abroad?
To request the VISA Invitation letter, please use the Visa Letter Form.

This is for anyone who plans on attending any part of the FIRST Championship with your team.

This invitation letter acts as a supporting document for your appointment at your local U.S. Embassy. FIRST does not assist with the VISA application process and cannot provide guidance for which VISA schedule one qualifies for; kindly check in with your local Embassy.

You can also view the Department of State VISA categories here to determine your eligibility on your own.

We’re looking forward to seeing you soon in Houston! Stay tuned for our next email on Wednesday, March 11, which will contain more important information about the event. 

Countdown to FIRSTChampionship – 63 days!