From August 2 to 8, Kazakhstan’s capital Astana is hosting the 2026 International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), with more than 120 teams representing 103 countries and territories officially registered. Organizers expect nearly 500 young AI specialists, mentors and delegation leaders. The IOAI is one of the world’s youngest international science competitions, with its inaugural event in Burgas, Bulgaria, in 2024, followed by Beijing in 2025. Astana is hosting the third edition. Each country may enter up to two teams of four students. The Competitive Programming Federation of Kazakhstan (CPFED) is the principal host, with main events at the Kazakh National University of Sports and the Alem.ai center. The competition tests mathematics, programming, machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing, consisting of an at-home introductory stage and two individual rounds in Astana. A separate Team Challenge will have its final stage at Alem.ai, where the ten strongest teams will refine and defend their solutions. The International Organizing Committee considered safety, transport accessibility, preparedness of the local team, government support and ability to keep approved dates when selecting the host city. For Kazakhstan, the IOAI creates opportunities to showcase digital infrastructure and allow local students to compete without travelling.