From April 27, 2027 to May 6, 2027
RECF World Championship 2027 | Former VEX Worlds adds drones in St. Louis
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation's first world championship since splitting from VEX Robotics runs April 27–May 6, 2027, at St. Louis's America's Center, adding aerial drone competitions and multi-vendor robot kits.
QUICK FACTS
| Date | Apr 27–May 6, 2027 |
| Location | St. Louis, USA |
| Venue | America's Center Convention Complex (incl. The Dome at America's Center) — 701 Convention Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63101, USA |
| Organizer | Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF) |
| Event type | Competition |
| Official website | https://recf.org/faq/q-will-there-still-be-a-culminating-championship-event-for-the-2026-2027-season/ |
| Admission | Teams qualify through RECF-sanctioned events (registration now via RECFEvents.org; season fee USD 175). Spectator and media terms for 2027 not yet published. |
| Scale | 2026 edition (Apr 21–30, 2026, St. Louis): 2,200+ VEX IQ, VEX V5 and VEX U teams from nearly every US state and dozens of countries (Explore St. Louis). Explore St. Louis projected $32M+ in economic impact and 50,000+ hotel room nights for the 2026–27 hosting deal. |
| Key deadlines | Not yet published for the championship; 2026–27 team registration open via RECFEvents.org. |
EVENT OVERVIEW
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF) will hold the 2027 RECF World Championship at the America's Center Convention Complex in St. Louis from April 27 to May 6, 2027. The event is the successor to the VEX Robotics World Championship, which RECF has run for years and which moved to St. Louis in 2026 under a two-year contract announced in May 2025. The 2026 edition drew more than 2,200 VEX IQ, VEX V5 and VEX U teams from nearly every US state and dozens of countries. RECF has said the 2027 championship will be staged in St. Louis again, and its season update also lists St. Louis for 2028.
The 2027 event is the first since RECF began operating independently of VEX Robotics in May 2026. For the 2026–27 season RECF moved registration to its own platform, cut the team fee to USD 175 and renamed its programs RECF Achieve, Engage and Inspire. Existing VEX hardware remains legal, but teams may now also use kits such as LEGO, AndyMark's Robits and Pitsco TETRIX MAX, plus limited 3D-printed and off-the-shelf parts. The Aerial Drone Competition and a new ADC Pro category, combining drones and ground robots, are now official World Championship events.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
First world championship under the RECF name after RECF began operating independently of VEX Robotics in May 2026
Aerial Drone Competition and the new ADC Pro (drones plus robots) join the World Championship
Rules now allow existing VEX hardware plus other platforms (LEGO, AndyMark Robits, Pitsco TETRIX MAX), limited 3D-printed and off-the-shelf parts
Programs renamed RECF Achieve, Engage and Inspire
2026 edition ran in waves by program and grade level over ten days; 2027 schedule not yet published
RECOMMENDED ATTENDEES
Educational robotics hardware makers (VEX, LEGO, AndyMark, Pitsco and others now eligible), drone manufacturers and drone-education providers, K-12 and college robotics coaches, district STEM leaders, university engineering recruiters, sponsors seeking early-career talent, St. Louis-area tech and economic development groups, parents and school administrators evaluating robotics programs, and media covering robotics education and the RECF–VEX split. Vendors newly allowed under the 2026–27 rules may find the event a first chance to meet championship-level teams.
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