World's first fully autonomous AI robot football match in China

AI Football Match: A fully autonomous AI robot football match made history in Beijing, showcasing China's first-ever 3v3 humanoid robot soccer game powered entirely by artificial intelligence . With teams from Tsinghua University, China Agricultural University, and others competing without human control, the tournament highlighted breakthroughs in visual sensors, autonomous decision-making, and fall-recovery systems. 

In a final illuminated by cheers, Tsinghua’s robots triumphed 5–3—an early glimpse of what’s to come at the World Humanoid Robot Games. 

As the event draws attention beyond the field, this match marks a powerful convergence of sports and robotics, potentially redefining how we view competition and collaboration between machines and humans. Stay tuned to discover why this landmark game could signal a new era in robotic sports.

About the AI football match

China hosted the world's first AI-powered humanoid robot football match | Credit: X

China recently hosted the first-ever football game between AI-powered humanoid robots. According to a report, the match consisted of two 10-minute halves with humanoid robots fighting in a 3 vs. 3 match while sporting purple and black jerseys. Pre-installed algorithms controlled the robots' moves during this match. 

The event was designed to demonstrate balance, agility, and AI-based decision-making rather than testing fast-paced action. The article claims that after scoring, the robots even lifted their hands. According to reports, Chinese technology universities took part in these games, showcasing machine autonomy advancements. 

This battle is reportedly the first in China and could serve as a prelude to the World Humanoid Robot Games, which will also occur in Beijing. 

Teams from Beijing Information Science and Technology University and Tsinghua University took part, according to a China News Network story (viewed by Bloomberg). According to the report, Vulcan, a Tsinghua team, took home the title. 

What organisers said about the AI football match held in China?

The AI robot match organizers told the news agency AP that one of the main features of the competition was that each robot used AI-driven tactics to work completely on its own without any assistance or oversight from humans. 

The robots, which were equipped with sophisticated vision sensors, could locate the ball and travel about the field quickly. Although some still required workers to carry them off the field on stretchers throughout the game, they were designed to get back up on their own after falling, which gave the event a more genuine feel, according to the organizers. 

According to the report, Booster Robotics provided these robots. According to Cheng Hao, the CEO of the business, sporting events offer a realistic setting for testing humanoid robots, fostering advancements in algorithms and hardware-software integration.