A crowd of thousands watched on as AI-powered robots dashed across a soccer field in Beijing on Saturday, turning a tech showcase into a competitive athletic spectacle.
China hosted its first fully autonomous robot soccer tournament, the ROBO League, in Beijing on July 1, 2025, where Tsinghua University’s THU Robotics team scored a 5-3 victory over China Agricultural University’s Mountain Sea team in the final match, UPI reported.
The one-day event marked a historic step in robotic innovation, as six-legged and wheeled robots maneuvered the field with no human control or remote guidance. The matches, played three-on-three, demonstrated real-time decision-making by the robots through artificial intelligence.
This was the first time China held a robot football competition of this type, where all actions performed on the field were autonomous. Thousands of attendees filled the venue in Beijing to see how far technology has progressed in bringing automation into sports.
Saturday’s matchups featured multiple AI teams competing against each other in short soccer matches. Each team consisted of three autonomous robots, capable of navigating the field, passing, defending, and scoring — all without human involvement.
The tournament was organized by the ROBO League and backed by several technology and academic institutions. According to organizers, the goal was not just competition, but also to display the integration of robotics into entertainment and public life.
Dou Jing, executive director of the organizing committee, pointed to the broader implications of the event. Jing is also the deputy general manager at Shangyicheng Technology and Culture Group, a company involved in both the robotics and cultural innovation sectors.
“This is the first fully autonomous AI robot football match in China,” Jing said. “It represents a combination of technological innovation and industrial application.”
The event culminated in a final match between two major Chinese universities known for their engineering programs — Tsinghua University and China Agricultural University. Their teams were named THU Robotics and Mountain Sea, respectively.
THU Robotics secured a 5-3 win over Mountain Sea, taking home the championship title. The match was a close contest, with back-and-forth goals and unexpected feats of robotic coordination impressing both the crowds and commentators.
Both teams relied on AI algorithms to navigate gameplay, analyze positions, and make split-second decisions on passing, dribbling, and defending. The robots were equipped with visual sensors and onboard computation systems that enabled real-time reactions.
This event was not only a competition but also a public demonstration of artificial intelligence in action. With the stands filled, the public got a rare look at what autonomous systems are capable of outside laboratory environments.
According to Dou Jing, the tournament offers a valuable “window for bringing robots into public life and real-world scenarios.” This aligns with China’s broader interest in promoting high-tech innovation through education and public engagement.
Robotic soccer provides a testing ground for real-world AI applications, as the game environment requires adaptability, coordination, and advanced sensory inputs—all core challenges in autonomous technology development.
The ROBO League tournament also served as a lead-up to a larger event on the horizon: the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Sports Games. That event is scheduled to take place in Beijing this coming August.
Organizers hope the July 1 tournament sparks growing interest in autonomous robotics competitions nationwide. They also aim to encourage more universities and institutions to develop AI-based athletic systems and robots for public exhibition.
For many attendees, the tournament was both a form of entertainment and a glimpse into the technological future. The mix of competitive play and scientific progress delivered an experience unlike any traditional sports event.
