
The team will compete using booster robot T1 robots during the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Hangan
While the Chinese men’s soccer team hasn’t generated much excitement in recent years, the humanoid robot team has gained Beijing fans based on AI technology than any athletic talent shown.
Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in a completely autonomous 3-on-3 soccer match on Saturday night, in China’s capital, which was first promoted in China and promoted in a preview of the World Humanoid Robot Game, scheduled to take place in Beijing.
According to organizers, an important aspect of the match was that all participating robots operated completely autonomously using AI-driven strategies without human intervention or supervision.
The robot equipped with advanced visual sensors allowed the ball to identify and navigate the field with agility.
They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling. However, during the game, they had to be carried out from the stretcher field by staff, increasing the realism of the experience.

Teams using booster robotics autonomous T1 robots will compete at the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Han Guan

Human members of Team Thu will celebrate the trophy near the T1 robot, the booster robot used in the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Hangan

On Saturday, June 28th, 2025, workers will run T1 robots from booster robots during the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing. Credit: AP Photo/ng Han Guan

Booster Robotics’ T1 robots show that they are fairly kicking a soccer ball ahead of the first Robo League Robot Football Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Han Guan

The team is preparing to compete during the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition on Saturday, June 28, 2025, using automatic T1 robots from Beijing’s Booster Robotics. Credit: AP Photo/ng Hangan
China is bolstering its efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by AI using sports such as marathons, boxing and soccer as proven real-world sites.
Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, a company that provided robotic players, said the sports competition will provide the ideal test field for humanoid robots and help accelerate the development of both algorithms and integrated hardware software systems.
He also highlighted safety as a core concern in the application of humanoid robots.
“In the future, we may arrange for robots to play soccer with humans. This means we must ensure that the robots are completely safe,” Chen said. “For example, robots and humans can play matches where victory is not important, but where real offensive and defensive interaction occurs. It helps viewers build trust and understand that the robot is safe.”
Booster Robotics provided hardware for all four university teams, and research teams from each school have developed and incorporated their own algorithms for recognition, decision-making, player formation and pass strategies, including variables such as speed, force and direction, according to Cheng.
In the final match, Twingua University’s Two Robotics defeated the Shanhai team of China Agricultural University with a score of 5-3 to win the championship.

The cheerleaders will perform between matches near the booster robot T1 robot at the first Robot Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Hangan

The team will compete using booster robot T1 robots during the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Hangan

Teams using booster robotics autonomous T1 robots will compete at the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Han Guan

The child will stop shots from the T1 robot from the booster robot prior to the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Hang An

On Saturday, June 28th, 2025, workers will run T1 robots from booster robots during the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing. Credit: AP Photo/ng Han Guan

Teams using booster robotics autonomous T1 robots will compete at the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/ng Han Guan

After the first Robo League Robot Soccer Competition held in Beijing on Saturday, June 28th, 2025, the girls respond to the T1 robot from booster robots. Credit: AP Photo/ng Hang An
Tsinghua supporter Wu celebrated the victory while celebrating the competition.
“They (Thu) really did well,” he said. “But the Sankai team (at the Agricultural University) was also impressive. They brought many surprises.”
China’s men have only appeared in the World Cup, and have already been knocked out of next year’s competition in Canada, Mexico and the US.
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