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8 Chinese Humanoid Teams Stage Penalty Shootout at MWC Shanghai

June 29, 2026 at 02:18 EDT

Robotics

At MWC Shanghai 2026, held June 24–26, the GSMA-organized "Humanoid Robot Football Penalties Challenge" pitted eight Chinese embodied AI teams against each other in fully autonomous penalty-kick duels with humanoid robots. Against the backdrop of soccer fever ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, some 100 rounds were contested over two days at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre before a crowd of more than 10,000.

June 24–26 · MWC Shanghai 2026

Robots Take the Penalty Spot: Embodied AI Steps Onto the Pitch

Eight Chinese teams sent humanoid robots into a fully autonomous penalty-kick challenge — no remote control, no resets. The machines found the ball, tracked the keeper and fired, all on their own, across roughly 100 rounds.

embodied AI teams competing

~100

autonomous penalty rounds

10,000+

spectators drawn to the floor

The Podium

Tianshu Tanjie
(Beijing)

China Mobile
(CM-H2-A)

Hangzhou Xingshu
Intelligent Robot

Winner CM-H2-A praised for consistency — few vision failures or balance issues. Runner-up Tianshu Tanjie noted for servo control, dynamic balancing and joint actuation.

What the Match Tested

Perception accuracy
locate ball & keeper

Balance control
stay upright on the shot

Motion planning
+ goal celebrations

Find the ball → Track the keeper → Strike — autonomously

A milestone

No remote control, no resets, adaptation to a moving environment — a notable benchmark for real-time control in the physical world, with Chinese players setting the pace.

Or marketing?

Performance wasn't flawless — vision and balance failures persist, past events left robots on stretchers, and specs like price and weight stay undisclosed.

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