Kazakhstan’s school engineers climb to fourth at FIRST Global — with the final still ahead

Kazakhstan’s digital ministry reported on 9 October that its school robotics team stood fourth among 185 countries at FIRST Global Challenge 2026 in Incheon, South Korea. The contest runs through 10 October, making this an interim ranking rather than a final result.

The team

The five students are Hussein Maksut, Nurtas Serik, Aspandiyar Berdali, Arnur Abdulla and Yerassyl Yendibay, all in grades 9–10. Their coaches are Asylbek Murzakhmetov, Nurdaulet Dosmagambet, Nursultan Yergesh and Darmanbek Nauryzbayev. A national selection process chose the team.

FIRST Global requires more than assembling and programming a robot. Students divide tasks, make decisions under time pressure and cooperate with teams from other countries. The engineering challenge also becomes a test of communication and responsibility.

Kazakhstan won the previous four editions, but that record does not decide the 2026 final. Until the official results are published, fourth place on 9 October is the defensible claim. The final standings will show whether the team moved higher.

Source: official announcement.