If you think sportspeople are exempt from the seemingly never-ending progression of AI and robotics, think again. A 3×3 football game in China, featuring only AI-driven robots, has attracted a larger slice of the media than even national football games.
The bipedal robots were entirely AI-driven and designed to play a game of football against one another. The event was designed as a trial and advertisement for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games in China.
The game was entirely AI-calculated, and the robots were able to play soccer using sensors and algorithms. There was no human interference, for the most part. The only help was given when their tiny little brains got confused or they fell down. Just like real soccer.
The AI robots’ soccer game pulled in a big crowd. The game was far from the mighty clashes of the Premier League. But as a proof of concept and source of amusement, it was fantastic.
Are AI Robots The Future Of Soccer And Other Sports?
Watching the footage from the AI robot soccer match, I can safely say we have quite some time before it’s even close to as thrilling and technical as the real deal. But the founders seem to think they’re getting there.
NEW: China launches its first humanoid robot soccer league in Beijing.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 1, 2025
This is way more entertaining than regular soccer.
The AI-controlled robots were supplied by Booster Robotics for the tournament and have the skills of 5 to 6 year old children.
Robots were seen getting… pic.twitter.com/VTLQOPjU3c
Watching the match was like seeing a group of drunk babies waddle around a field. Many times, assistants had to step in to pull two of them apart. Over and over, one would fall over and be unable to right itself. But, there is certainly something there.
At some point, Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, thinks that the AI soccer-playing robots could work with human opponents. “For example, a robot and a human could play a match where winning doesn’t matter, but real offensive and defensive interactions take place.”
The upcoming games are hardly a shadow compared to the real, human Olympic Games. But it does give a lot of developers a chance to pit their progress against one another. At present, things like team sports are a real challenge for AI and robotics.
I hate to say it, but it won’t take too much computing power to mimic the average soccer player.