Humanoid robots competed in the world’s first fully autonomous 5v5 soccer match on Wednesday at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval, as part of the World Humanoid Robot Games.
Experts say this milestone highlights rapid advancements in embodied Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, suggesting robots could soon excel in a variety of manufacturing and everyday scenarios, News.Az reports, citing Global Times.
Previously, robot soccer matches were limited to 3v3 games. In the Beijing event, each team fielded two forwards, two defenders, and a goalkeeper. The robots autonomously assumed their positions at kick-off and immediately began tackling, passing, and shooting once the referee put the ball in play.
While some fell during collisions, most were able to get back on their feet and rejoin the action. Cheers erupted whenever a goal was scored. The match lasted 40 minutes, with two 15-minute halves and a 10-minute half-time break.
The rulebook for the humanoid robot soccer competition spans nearly 70 pages. Dong Hao, the chief referee, told the Global Times on Wednesday that while the gameplay and officiating are largely similar to human soccer, fouls for physical contact are judged more leniently.
The matches also feature tailored rules to accommodate robotic capabilities. For example, when a team is awarded a free kick, opponents are prohibited from challenging for the ball within 10 seconds, allowing the robots' AI algorithms to execute the set play more effectively.
Before the matches, teams were busy fine-tuning their robots and code. A member of Tsinghua University's Hephasetus squad told the Global Times that the open-source robots used in the competition were provided by the organizers, while the teams were responsible for developing the software programs that determine the robots' motion control, visual recognition and other capabilities.
Dong said that for robots to play soccer, they should be able to dynamically recognize various objects and their surroundings on the pitch, swiftly plan movement paths, and coordinate with teammates to score. "Translating these capabilities into everyday industrial settings will enable robots to help people tackle a wide range of tasks," he said.
Yang Shaoshuai, leader of the China Agricultural University team, told the Global Times that unlike 3v3, the 5v5 format requires constant coordination, with frequent changes of attacking players rather than relying on a single "leader." "We have to repeatedly adjust strategies for different scenarios to truly achieve humanoid robots playing football in a human-like way," he said. The team's biggest strength lies in positioning, followed by faster movement adjustments and more precise ball control.
He noted that the robots' motion control, kicking power, walking speed, turning speed, and teamwork have reached a relatively stable level, with little need for human intervention during matches. "We're confident about Friday's main event," Yang said.
In the match, all teams used Booster Robotics' hardware paired with their own self-developed algorithm models, Zhao Weichen, vice president of Booster Robotics, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "The combination of durable hardware and adaptable AI is accelerating our shift from competitive sports to multi-scenario applications."
Zhao said the company's core team dates back two decades to Tsinghua University's robot soccer squad, giving it the world's longest track record in bipedal humanoid robot research and development, control, perception and decision-making.
"The team replaced traditional modelling with reinforcement and imitation learning, combining large-scale simulation with real-world training to refine movement strategies and build an end-to-end model capable of autonomous perception and cross-scenario generalization," he said.
Zhao added that the vision is to make humanoid robots as simple, reliable and practical as computers. By providing open development frameworks and tools, similar to the smartphone or personal computer ecosystem, they aim to lower the barrier for third-party developers and enable robots to move beyond the pitch into homes, with functions ranging from navigation and obstacle avoidance to everyday intelligent decision-making.
The World Humanoid Robot Games will officially kick off in Beijing on Thursday and last for three days, with all events taking place at the National Speed Skating Oval, known as the Ice Ribbon. A total of 280 teams from 16 countries across five continents, fielding more than 500 robots, will compete in 26 disciplines covering 538 events, including popular sports such as soccer, athletics and gymnastics.
