The Zero Cup: 0G's Global Vibe Coding Tournament

Great ideas shouldn't require a computer science degree to become reality.

Most people who are sitting on a good app idea never build it. The idea is usually fine. The wall is everything behind it: programming languages, frameworks, servers, deployment. For decades, shipping software meant learning all of that or paying someone who already had.

AI and vibe coding changed that. You describe what you want in plain language, AI writes the code, and you steer until it works. The skill that matters now is the idea itself, and the judgment to shape it into something people actually want.

The Zero Cup is a tournament built around exactly that skill. It is 0G's online, global vibe coding tournament: build an AI-native app on 0G, enter the bracket, and compete through World Cup-style knockout rounds for a $17,000 prize pool. The official site is live today at 0g.ai/arena/zero-cup, and registration is open now.

What is The Zero Cup?

The Zero Cup is an online competition where builders create AI-native apps, agents, companions, or games using 0G, then compete in a knockout bracket modeled on the FIFA World Cup. Across five weeks of competition, the field narrows round by round until one project is crowned champion on July 19.

No gatekeepers. No elite developer circles. No waiting for permission. If you can describe your idea, you can compete.

This first run is the pilot season, and the format is kept simple on purpose: a single knockout bracket, with real cash at every stage from the Top 8 onward.

The Zero Cup trophy in retro pixel-art arcade style — The Zero Cup trophy in the tournament's retro pixel-art style

Who can enter

Founders, creators, students, developers, and anyone sitting on one good idea. The brief is wide by design: an app, an agent, a companion, or a game, built on 0G. If you need a starting point, AI companions are a strong one.

If you have shipped software before, great. If you have never written a line of code, also great. Builders have already shipped 25 zero-coded projects on 0G's no-code path, out of 173 total projects in the Builder Hub gallery (build.0g.ai, June 2026). 0G has run Zero Coding events at ETHDenver and Cannes. The Zero Cup takes that format global and online.

How the bracket works

Registration and project submissions run June 15 through June 23 at 0g.ai/arena/zero-cup. After the deadline, every submission goes through an eligibility check against the official rules. Then the knockout begins.

Judges select the Top 8. From there, community voting decides who advances.

Date	Milestone
June 15	Registration and submissions open
June 23	Submission deadline
June 27	Top 32 announced
July 3	Top 16 announced
July 7	Top 8 announced, community voting opens
July 11	Top 4 announced
July 15	Top 2 announced
July 19	Champion crowned

If those dates look familiar, check the football fixtures. Every Zero Cup announcement lands on the day the real FIFA World Cup completes the same stage: the group stage wraps on June 27, the round of 16 ends July 7, and the final is played on July 19 (FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule). The bracket advances the same days the World Cup does, and the Zero Cup champion is crowned the same day football crowns its own.

Zero Cup knockout schedule mirroring the FIFA World Cup 2026 stage dates — The Zero Cup schedule runs in lockstep with the real World Cup: same stages, same days

The prize pool: $17,000

Prize money stacks as you advance. Reach the Top 8 and you have locked in $500, guaranteed. The Top 4 adds $1,000. The Top 2 adds another $2,000, and the champion takes a $5,000 grand prize on top. Add it up and the winner walks away with $8,500, half the pool.

Finish	Total prize
Champion	$8,500
Runner-up	$3,500
Third and fourth	$1,500 each
Fifth through eighth	$500 each

Zero Cup prize tiers: $500, $1,000, $2,000, $5,000 — The four prize tiers of The Zero Cup: each round you survive adds the next coin

Eight builders leave with money. One leaves with the first Zero Cup title.

Built on 0G Studio

The Zero Cup is built around 0G Studio, the vibe coding environment inside the 0G App at app.0g.ai. Describe what you want and Studio generates a complete project with a live preview, running entirely in your browser. Start from a template, or upload a screenshot of a design you like and build from that. When your app is ready, deploy it in one click.

Registration runs through your 0G Builder Profile. And if you want to reach beyond Studio, the wider 0G stack is open to you, including products like 0G Private Computer, where AI runs without exposing your data. The official rules at 0g.ai/arena/zero-cup cover what a valid submission needs.

New to 0G? The rebuilt Builder Hub at build.0g.ai has a Zero Coding path with prompt templates, tutorials, and an Ask AI assistant for the moments you get stuck.

How to enter

Everything official lives at 0g.ai/arena/zero-cup: the full rules, eligibility requirements, and prize details. Registration is open now, and submissions stay open through June 23.

That is a nine-day window to take your idea from a sentence to a submitted project. With vibe coding, that is more than enough.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Zero Cup?

The Zero Cup is 0G's online global vibe coding tournament, run as a World Cup-style knockout bracket. Builders create AI-native apps, agents, companions, or games using 0G, submissions run June 15 to 23, and the champion is crowned July 19. The prize pool is $17,000.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. The Zero Cup is built for vibe coding: you describe what you want and 0G Studio generates a working app you can refine and deploy from your browser. Past 0G events have already produced 25 zero-coded projects.

How are winners decided?

Every submission goes through an eligibility check after the June 23 deadline. Judges select the Top 8. From there, community voting decides who advances. The champion is announced July 19. Full judging details are in the official rules at 0g.ai/arena/zero-cup.

How do I register?

Registration is open now on the official site at 0g.ai/arena/zero-cup, through a 0G Builder Profile. Submissions close June 23.

What is 0G?

0G is the blockchain for AI agents and onchain liquidity. It combines storage, compute, data availability, and chain in one stack where every agent action can be verified onchain. The Aristotle mainnet has been live since September 2025.