RoboCup in South Korea: AI-powered humanoid robots take to the field aiming to challenge FIFA world champions

One of the world’s most unusual football competitions was held in Incheon, South Korea, where humanoid robots equipped with artificial intelligence took to the field as part of RoboCup, the world’s largest international robotics tournament. The long-term goal of the project is for a fully autonomous team of robots to be able to defeat the FIFA World Cup champions by 2050.

These robots differ from remotely controlled models because they make decisions independently during the match. They walk, pass, shoot and react according to developments on the field, while the role of humans is limited only to relaying the referee’s commands, such as “stop” and “continue.”

There was no shortage of excitement during the matches either. One of the robots scored a goal to the applause of the crowd, while another sparked laughter in the stands after fouling the goalkeeper and knocking him to the ground.

Created in Japan in 1997, the RoboCup tournament has now expanded beyond football and also includes robots dedicated to rescue operations, household services and industrial use. Still, football continues to be considered the most ambitious test for the advancement of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Visitors said they were surprised by the level displayed on the field. Many of them admitted that, although the robots still do not move like humans, the matches were entertaining and conveyed the same sense of rivalry that traditional football brings. Some of them even began supporting teams based on the players’ colors and numbers.

The professors involved in the project believe robot football will become a sport in its own right. “At the World Cup, you can have only one Lionel Messi. But once you build a robot Messi, you can build thousands of them,” Professor Shim In-wook said.