Drone soccer soars from Korean birthplace of Jeonju to CES and beyond

Social Affairs

Published: 18 Jul. 2024, 17:08 Updated: 18 Jul. 2024, 18:20

Drone soccer soars from Korean birthplace of Jeonju to CES and beyond

Drone balls fly during a game at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in North Jeolla. [CHOI GI-UNG]

One of the standout booths at this year's CES in Las Vegas was drone soccer.

The buzzing motors and flashing lights of the game's flying balls captivated visitors, many of whom remained fixed at the booth.

As it turns out, drone soccer was born in Korea's southwestern province of North Jeolla.

The sport, as well as its rules and ball designs, was entirely developed in 2017 by the Camtic Institute of Technology located in Jeonju, North Jeolla.

Its showcase at CES 2024 in January was reported by some 70 media outlets, including CNN and AFP, according to the company.

Drone soccer, often compared to soccer and the magical sport of Quidditch from Harry Potter, pits two five-player teams against one another. Each player controls a drone ball.

A team scores when the striker ball, 60 centimeters (24 inches) in diameter, passes through the goal gate. The striker, marked with a ribbon, is the only ball that can score during the game. Defensive drones, including a keeper and a sweeper, defend their goal gates while the forward drones fight to make way for the striker to score. These balls crash into each other and fall, which excludes them from play for the rest of the set.

The match consists of three sets, with the team scoring more goals during the three-minute game winning. The battery attached to the drones lasts for about three to four minutes, which could run out quicker depending on the intensity of the match. A drone ball cannot participate for the rest of the set if its battery dies.

The Jeonju city government first announced it would host the Drone Soccer World Cup in October next year at CES in January.

Around 2,500 players from 32 countries are expected to participate in the event.

Players inspect a drone ball before a game in a video provided by the Camtic Institute of Technology. [CAMTIC INSTITUE OF TECHNOLOGY]

The city is going all out to host the event successfully next year. A drone sports complex center, a stadium dedicated to drone soccer, will be completed next February near Jeonju World Cup Stadium. The ground was broken in March to build the 1,000-spectator center.

The 2025 Drone Soccer World Cup will be hosted by the Federation of International Dronesoccer Association (FIDA), founded in June last year. Camtic Institute of Technology President Ro Sang-heub, who represents the company that developed drone soccer in Korea, became the inaugural president of FIDA.

“It also captivated many at WMF, an international trade fair held in Bologna, Italy, in June,” Ro said, adding that the founder of WMF, Cosmano Lombardo, also invited Korea’s drone soccer team and was eager to introduce the sport to Italy.

According to the head of the company, drone soccer was created by thinking outside the box.

“Drones are usually used for transportation and filming. Games and sports that utilize drone technology also try to avoid obstacles. But we thought the opposite, with drones bumping into each other,” Ro said. “Drones are also perceived as dangerous, needing wide outdoor areas, and only one controller could enjoy them. However, we designed the game for multiple players to play indoors with a new safely wrapping the drones.”

The success of the drone ball depends on how the outer shell encasing the drone is made. The Camtic Institute of Technology developed the key technology with 100 experts in molding, processing, heat treatment and casting.

“The key is the blending composition,” Ro said, adding that carbon was used for the joints and synthetic resin for the rest.

“The ratio should be just right so that it is not too hard nor too soft, light, durable and with good flight performance.”

Game rules have also evolved.

“Initially, any ball could score a goal,” Ra Se-young, the director of Camtic, said. “But we changed the rule so that only the striker drone could score, which helped increase the game's intensity and brought about tactics.”

Korean players cheer after scoring a goal during the pre-World Cup drone soccer tournament held in Songdo, Incheon, in May, in a video provided by the Camtic Institute of Technology. [CAMTIC INSTITUE OF TECHNOLOGY]

In May last year, a pre-World Cup drone soccer tournament was held in Songdo, Incheon, as part of the Korea Drone Expo. Around 1,500 players from 21 countries participated in the event during the Korea Drone Expo.

“The match between Korea and Japan was like watching an actual soccer game between the two countries,” Ra said, recalling the intense cheering at the site.

Despite its continuous expansion in the country, the sport has faced several challenges lately, including the production of counterfeit flying balls. Allegations have also been raised that an executive of the Korea Drone Soccer Association received business funding in their personal bank account. The Jeonju city government has launched an investigation into the allegations.

There are around 2,500 drone soccer teams in Korea, and there are more than 30 competitions every year. The sport also became an afterschool program at elementary schools last year.

BY JEONG YOUNG-JAE,CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]