China launches first humanoid robot soccer league that's way better than the Premier League

In a bizarre display of tech prominence, the first humanoid robot soccer league has been launched by Booster Robotics in China, and it could give the Premier League a run for its money.

Like all sports, soccer is all about speed, power, precision, and fluidity.

They’re not necessarily terms that you’d ever associate with humanoids, though, as the robots are only just beginning to learn basic functions.

Still, over in China, there is a robotic soccer league where humanoids are scoring on and off the field.

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Robot soccer league launched in China

Robots have been really pushing the boundaries of technology, and companies have been putting considerable efforts into making the humanoid race more fluid.

Less robotic, per se.

After Tesla showcased Optimus dancing – a significant improvement on its languid and rigid movement from last year – it appears that the tech creations are finally getting the hang of movement.

But can they play sports?

Well, China – home to some of the best AI bots – has launched a robot soccer league, and it’s frightening(ly good).

Hosted by Booster Robotics, the robot race in question is the T1, and it has been specifically designed for sports replication.

In just two years, the AI bots have been shaped to take on contact sports and are programmed to recognise the soccer ball, its teammates, and the goal, in order to form an understanding of the beautiful game.

In a two-versus-two setup, a recent clip of the soccer bots went viral, as the humanoids showcased some hilarious ‘skills‘.

China hosted the world’s first AI robot football matchpic.twitter.com/NpFbLgdNVH

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) July 2, 2025

While it’s clear to see that the match quality isn’t high, the entertainment value can certainly rival the English Premier League as the most-watched soccer division in the world.

Humanoids could be soccer mad

There is a reason that this soccer series was given the green light, and that’s because the robotics team eyed a contact sport that would really test if the humanoids can judge multiple moving objects with a simple concept.

“We chose the football scenario for robot competition primarily for two reasons: first, to encourage students to apply their algorithmic skills to real-world robotics,” said Booster Robotics founder Cheng Hao.

“Second, to showcase the robots’ ability to walk autonomously and stably, withstand collisions, and demonstrate higher levels of intelligence and safety.”

So, could we ever see humanoids work in the Saudi Pro League, which boasts Cristiano Ronaldo, and the MLS, which houses Lionel Messi?

Maybe, it will only be a few years before China makes footballing history by teaming the world’s highest-paid players with a robot goalkeeper.

Now that would make for quite a spectacle. The other team could even have a human-tech hybrid, using a jetpack goalie.

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