China's humanoid robots generate more soccer excitement than their human
counterparts
[June 30, 2025]
BEIJING (AP) — While China's men's soccer team hasn't generated much
excitement in recent years, humanoid robot teams have won over fans in
Beijing based more on the AI technology involved than any athletic
prowess shown.
Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in fully autonomous 3-on-3
soccer matches powered entirely by artificial intelligence on Saturday
night in China's capital in what was touted as a first in China and a
preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games, set to take place
in Beijing.
According to the organizers, a key aspect of the match was that all the
participating robots operated fully autonomously using AI-driven
strategies without any human intervention or supervision.
Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the robots were able to identify
the ball and navigate the field with agility
They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling. However,
during the match several still had to be carried off the field on
stretchers by staff, adding to the realism of the experience.
China is stepping up efforts to develop AI-powered humanoid robots,
using sports competitions like marathons, boxing, and football as a
real-world proving ground.
Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, the company that
supplied the robot players, said sports competitions offer the ideal
testing ground for humanoid robots, helping to accelerate the
development of both algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems.
He also emphasized safety as a core concern in the application of
humanoid robots.
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Teams compete using the T1 robots from Booster Robotics during the
inaugural RoBoLeague robot soccer competition held in Beijing,
Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
 “In the future, we may arrange for
robots to play football with humans. That means we must ensure the
robots are completely safe,” Cheng said. “For example, a robot and a
human could play a match where winning doesn’t matter, but real
offensive and defensive interactions take place. That would help
audiences build trust and understand that robots are safe.”
Booster Robotics provided the hardware for all four university
teams, while each school’s research team developed and embedded
their own algorithms for perception, decision-making, player
formations, and passing strategies—including variables such as
speed, force, and direction, according to Cheng.
In the final match, Tsinghua University’s THU Robotics defeated the
China Agricultural University’s Mountain Sea team with a score of
5–3 to win the championship.
Mr. Wu, a supporter of Tsinghua, celebrated their victory while also
praising the competition.
“They (THU) did really well,” he said. “But the Mountain Sea team
(of Agricultural University) was also impressive. They brought a lot
of surprises.”
China's men have made only one World Cup appearance and have already
been knocked out of next years' competition in Canada, Mexico and
the United States.
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