New England Premier Event

The very first Premier Event in the history of FIRST Tech Challenge! Starting as the New England Invitational in 2024, this event brought FTC teams from all over the region to compete under the same roof for the first time, hosted at The Big E in Massachusetts. This success led to being invited to the first class of Premier Events, a new competition format for FTC. Our event in mid-April will be the first one to play DECODE at this level. This year, NE FIRST will welcome 56 teams to the New England Premier Event, competing in two FTC divisions of 28 teams each.

EVENT INFO

Save the Date: April 17–18, 2026

FIRST AGE NEW ENGLAND PREMIER EVENT

Better Living Center, The Big E, West Springfield, Mass.

WHAT IS A FIRST PREMIER EVENT?

FIRST Premier Events (FPE) are capstone events specifically focused on celebrating FIRST Tech Challenge teams. Teams earn advancement to Premier Events the same way as they earn advancement to the FIRST Championship, based on performance at their Regional Championship event.

HOW MANY TEAMS CAN ATTEND?

In 2025, 56 teams competed at the New England Premier Event. Of those, 39 teams earned advancement based on their performance at their Regional Championship Event. The remaining 17 teams were invited from within the New England states: CT, MA, ME, NH, RI and VT. We anticipate 2026 being the same!

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE EVENT?

The New England Premier Event is a two-day, two division event. Competitors will play DECODE matches in divisions of 28 teams while awards will be presented to top teams across both divisions. Qualification matches will play through Friday and judging, playoffs and award ceremonies will be on Saturday.

HOW CAN I HELP THIS EVENT?

We are looking for volunteers who can help with both days of this competitive event! It takes 120 FIRST Tech Challenge Judges, Referees, Inspectors and other volunteers to make this event a success. Please register in the FIRST Dashboard!

MA Calendar