Humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence competed in the world’s first fully autonomous 5v5 soccer match during the preliminary rounds of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, according to China’s state-run Global Times.
While previous matches had been limited to 3v3 formats, the new 5-a-side structure featured two forwards, two defenders, and a goalkeeper on each team. Once positioned at kickoff, the robots played without any human input—passing, tackling, and shooting entirely on their own.
Despite occasional falls from collisions, the robots quickly recovered and continued playing, earning cheers from the crowd with each goal scored. The match lasted 40 minutes, split into two 15-minute halves with a 10-minute intermission.
The competition follows a 70-page rulebook, largely modeled after human soccer but adapted for robots. Notably, after a free kick, opposing players must wait 10 seconds before making a challenge to allow AI systems time to process and execute strategies.
The World Humanoid Robot Games kicked off Thursday in Beijing and will run for three days, showcasing over 500 robots from 280 teams representing 16 countries. Across 26 sports—including soccer, athletics, and gymnastics—a total of 538 events are scheduled.
This tournament follows China’s first AI robot soccer match held on June 27, which featured 3v3 teams.
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