Registration at NHRL
(Note: This page has been updated for the 2026 season.)
Please only register if you are 100% sure you can compete at the event.
You can register for events at the NHRL Registration Hub.
Note that this system may change and evolve throughout the 2026 season.
Registration
We offer 2 events for public registration: the NHRL Open for 3lb, 12lb, and 30lb, and NHRL XP, for less experienced and more casual competitors. NHRL XP is for the 3lb weight class only, for the time being. Both events happen on the same day at the NHRL House of Havoc.
Because of overwhelming demand, we have registration caps at our NHRL events.
- 3lb Open: 80 bots
- 3lb XP: 16 bots
- 12lb Open: 32 bots
- 30lb Open: 32 bots (up from 20 last year)
Registration opens about 8 weeks before the event (sooner for the January and February events). It closes about 7 weeks before the event, and selections are announced about 6.5 weeks before the event.
Registration requires a $75 deposit. You will get it back as long as you are able to make it to your first-round prelim fight.
Selection
Selections are generally announced 6 weeks before the event (it will be a shorter turnaround for the February and March events). Selection is by driver, not bot, although the bot registered is a factor.
Selection will be a lottery, with 2 buckets.
The first bucket will be made up of:
- All competitors in good standing who have been Main Driver of a bot that is currently-ranked.
- (3lb only) All competitors in good standing who have earned at least 10,000 XP.
Anyone in the first bucket must be able and willing to compete at the 2026 World Championships with their entered bot, barring an unexpected emergency or life event.
The second bucket will be everyone else.
If there is a waitlist, then any unselected competitors from the first bucket will be at the top in random order, followed by unselected competitors from the second bucket.
Good standing
A competitor is in good standing if they meet all of the following criteria:
- They have not forfeited either of their first 2 fights at the last 2 NHRL events at that weight class.
- They have not dropped out after registering in the last 2 NHRL events at that weight class.
- They have not forfeited either of their first 2 fights or dropped out after registering at multiple events in the last 12 months at that weight class.
- They have not been disqualified from NHRL events in the past 6 months due to demerits, or forfeited multiple fights due to excessive TKO points in any weight class.
- They have not acted improperly with a timeout, or ban in the NHRL Discord in the past 6 months.
NHRL XP
NHRL XP is a separate 3lb tournament we run on the same day we run NHRL Open. It is open to any competitor, regardless of experience. We encourage inexperienced competitors to cut their teeth here.
The XP tournament will use the same format as the Open tournament, with a 3-round prelim feeding a single-elimination bracket. Additionally, competitors that go 0-2 in the Open prelims may sign up to compete in the XP single-elimination bracket, if they want more stick time.
After each event, competitors gain XP for the following.
| Achievement | XP |
|---|---|
| Made first fight | 500 |
| Made it to bracket | 1500 |
| Made semifinals | 2000 |
| Made final | 2500 |
| Won event | 3500 |
| Forfeit in prelims first round | -2000 |
| Forfeit in prelims second or third round | -1000 |
| Forfeit in bracket | -500 |
A competitor who reaches 10,000 XP becomes eligible to be selected for Open.
2026 reservations
Reservations at NHRL will work differently in 2026.
Reservations for 2026 will open on January 26 (this date is subject to change). Any competitor in good standing in a weight class may reserve for ONE event in that weight class, starting with our April event.
You no longer need to apply for a reservation and give a reason. (This policy is subject to change if we get a lot of dropouts and/or forfeits from competitors who have made reservations.)
You may reserve once in multiple weight classes, as long as you are in good standing for those weight classes. You may reserve in different weight classes at the same event or different events, if you wish, as long as you only reserve once per weight class.
Each reservation is by Main Driver, just like registration.
At 3lb, NHRL reserves the right to place any competitor in the XP tournament if we feel they would not be a good match for the Open tournament.
For the time being, you may reserve a spot in the Open tournament at 12lb or 30lb regardless of experience. This policy is subject to change if we get a lot of dropouts and/or forfeits from inexperienced competitors who made reservations at 12lb or 30lb.
You will make your reservation through the NHRL Registration Hub. Reservations will now require the regular $75 deposit at the time of reservation.
Reservations cannot be moved. Please do not reserve a spot unless you are absolutely sure you can make it.
Reservations for any given event will close, at latest, the Friday before that event's lottery opens. RESERVATIONS MAY CLOSE EARLY DUE TO HIGH DEMAND. We will make a best effort to give at least 24 hours warning via email if we need to close reservations for an event early; however, we cannot guarantee that much notice if demand is overwhelming.
