China's robot sports craze could eventually put humanoids in homes
On the outskirts of Beijing, a young Chinese entrepreneur, Cheng Hao, sits on an indoor soccer pitch. This turf isn't for humans; it's where engineers train human-like robots to play soccer using artificial intelligence. Dribbling, passing, shooting, and blocking are all part of their training regimen.
Cheng, a 37-year-old Beijinger, is at the forefront of China's decade-long push into humanoid robot technology. He founded Booster Robotics in 2023, inspired by Tesla's first humanoid robot, Optimus, and the groundbreaking ChatGPT-4. His goal is to develop the world's most advanced soccer-playing humanoids.
"There are hundreds of robot soccer teams worldwide," he told CNN. "We need to be the first in this niche market and then expand to other markets."
China's robot industry has accelerated since 2015, when the government prioritized robotics as one of 10 sectors for industry upgrade and reputation enhancement. Today, the country boasts over 150 humanoid robot companies, with the number steadily increasing, according to officials.
For startups like Cheng's, sports have become a testing ground, showcasing robotic capabilities and exploring real-world applications. This led to a boom in robot sporting events across China in 2025. Drones danced on stage at the Spring Festival Gala, humanoids ran their first half-marathon, and Beijing hosted the world's first Humanoid Robot Games, featuring robots in soccer, boxing, martial arts, and more.
This robot sports craze coincides with China's emergence as a key player in global tech competition with the US and other countries. China is not only racing to exploit the market's multibillion-dollar potential but also to boost productivity in a rapidly aging workforce.
During a CNN interview in the company's lab, engineers were fine-tuning their robots. One robot was suspended from a rope attached to the ceiling, testing its balance by jumping and landing. Another robot walked around a mini-size indoor soccer field, with engineers closely inspecting its components.
Booster Robotics was preparing for RoboCup, an international tournament testing robots' use of artificial intelligence to play soccer. Soccer has long been a benchmark task for scientists to test robots, with the earliest testing in the 1990s leading to the first RoboCup games in Nagoya, Japan, in the late 1990s. It's now an annual event.
Peter Stone, a previous president of the competition and a professor of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin, highlighted the complexity of robot soccer, requiring motion, vision, localization, collaborative strategic planning, and adversarial reasoning.
"RoboCup's inspirational goal is to create a team of robots that can beat the best human soccer team on a real soccer field," Stone said. "I sometimes compare it to challenges like landing a man on the moon. It's an ambitious technological challenge that requires progress in science and engineering."
Cheng's passion for soccer-playing robots began early. He grew up watching soccer and fell in love with robots in high school. His undergraduate studies focused on training robots to play soccer.
However, Cheng is now looking beyond soccer. "We see robots playing soccer as a test," he said. "We test various technologies in soccer, but in the future, we'll use this technology in factories or homes."
Robot sports are also a way to attract attention and investment. An exhibition robot soccer league held by Booster Robotics in June drew online livestreaming from China's state broadcaster and sponsorship from diverse brands. Over 700 tickets were sold at $15 each.
By the end of July, the company secured over $14 million in Series A+ financing, just two days after winning the 2025 RoboCup championship in Brazil.
"Robot soccer is a show," Cheng said. "But like a show in Las Vegas, it can earn a lot of money, allowing us to hire more talent to develop algorithms for future real-world uses."
The Chinese government has played a significant role in the robot boom, similar to the growth of electric vehicles and other high-tech industries. Li Shi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Association of Automation, has been organizing domestic robot sports games for decades.
"Government involvement, with significant investment and extensive media coverage, has greatly expanded the influence of robot sports," Li said, also presiding over RoboCup's junior-level games in China. In 2021, the Chinese government released a five-year blueprint for its robot industry, offering financial incentives like higher subsidies, tax cuts for research, and easier loans.
"The next five years and beyond represent a strategic period of opportunity for China's robot industry to achieve self-reliance and technological leapfrogging," the plan stated.
This explains why China launched the World Humanoid Robots Games in August, co-hosted by the Beijing municipal government, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, and the World Robot Cooperation Organization. The Games included a 100m relay race, boxing events, soccer matches, and practical competitions where robots sorted and handled materials in simulated factories and drug stores.
Despite the government's support, the industry aims to become self-sustaining. Li noted that robot sports games should eventually be self-sustaining, and scientists continue to work on improving robot capabilities.
However, challenges remain. At the World Humanoid Robot Games, one robot crashed into a human operator, another made an unexpected 90-degree turn to collide with referee seats, boxing robots missed punches, and soccer-playing humanoids frequently fell over. But participants view these flaws as part of the learning process, helping developers improve technologies.
In March 2025, the government included "intelligent robots" in its annual work report for the first time, aiming to accelerate robot adoption. Companies like Leju and X-humanoid are testing their robots in factories, while Unitree's humanoids are being deployed in industrial inspection and other scenarios.
Globally, the trend is similar. According to Morgan Stanley research, the humanoid robot industry is shifting its focus from showcasing technical capabilities to exploring real-world adoption and expanding applications. For instance, Boston Dynamics and Tesla's humanoids have been tested for factory logistics, and Elon Musk suggested using robots for crime prevention.
Cheng and his startup aim to stay ahead in the race to create robots with practical applications. Three months after CNN's visit, the company released a kid-size robot on October 24, targeting broader public uses.
"They are no longer just tools for tasks," Cheng told a crowd of journalists, investors, and business partners. "They are 'intelligent agents' with specialized skills. They can be workout companions, home tutors, and soccer players. Users can program them for various tasks."
As the market becomes more crowded, startups are carving out their niches to avoid being squeezed out. The goal is to convince consumers to buy their humanoids, with Cheng envisioning a future where humanoid robots are as simple, reliable, and practical as personal computers.
"Let's make humanoid robots as simple, reliable, and practical as personal computers," he concluded.
