The metaverse, a concept that originated in Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction novel "Snow Crash," has evolved from a futuristic idea to a rapidly developing technological frontier. As a loosely defined term referring to virtual worlds where users interact through avatars, usually in 3D environments focused on social and economic connections, the metaverse is poised to revolutionize how we experience the digital realm. In recent years, the metaverse has gained significant traction, with major tech companies and industries investing heavily in its development. This surge of interest stems from the metaverse's potential to transform various sectors, including education, healthcare, entertainment, and business.

As we stand on the cusp of what many consider the next iteration of the internet, it is crucial to bring together researchers, industry professionals, and academics to explore the latest advancements and address the challenges in metaverse technologies and applications. The 2026 IEEE International Conference on Metaverse (Metaverse 2026) originates from the 8th IEEE International Conference on Internet of People (IoP 2021). With the network communication, security, and computing technologies, Metaverse 2026 will be a primal international forum for scientists, engineers, and researchers to exchange their novel research regarding advancements in the state-of-art of metaverse, as well as to identify the emerging research topics and open issues for further research. Metaverse 2026 will include a highly selective program of technical papers, accompanied by workshops, demos, panel discussions and keynote speeches. We welcome high quality papers that describe original and unpublished research advancing the state of the art in Metaverse.

Topics of Interest

The topics include (but are not limited to):

Metaverse Computing Infrastructures (Continuum)
Networking and Connectivity for the Metaverse
Ubiquitous and Pervasive (Green) Metaverse Systems
Extended Reality Technologies (VR/AR/MR/XR)
Advanced Interaction and Multimodal Interfaces
AI-Driven 3D Modeling and Content Creation
Real-Time Rendering and AI Game Engines
Security, Privacy and Trust in the Metaverse
Blockchain, Smart Contracts and Digital Assets
AI and Hardware Security for Virtual Worlds
Metaverse Applications and Intelligent Systems
Legal, Ethical and Societal Aspects of the Metaverse.