Penalty shootout with humanoid robots
The development of humanoid robots is progressing rapidly. Particularly in China, technological advancement is being pushed intensely. What often happens away from the public eye in industrial and military contexts becomes widely visible through events and competitions. As part of the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Shanghai, a penalty shootout featuring humanoid robots takes place, fittingly coinciding with the ongoing World Cup in Canada, the US, and Mexico.
In April 2026, news of the half marathon in Beijing made international headlines, where the winner shattered the previous world record for that distance by an astonishing nine minutes. However, a doping test was unnecessary despite the remarkable time, as the new record holder, aptly named „Blitz“, was a humanoid robot sent into the race by the smartphone manufacturer Honor. Of the more than 100 participating systems, entries from the host country dominated. The best non-Chinese team came from the Technical University of Munich, with their system finishing in 39th place – almost three hours slower than the first-place competitor.
Both the striker and the goalkeeper are robots
The hype surrounding humanoid robots in China is expected to be evident at the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Shanghai. Today, the „Humanoid Robot Football Penalties Challenge“ is also taking place. Various companies will compete against each other in a penalty shootout. Each team will take five penalty shots, with both the striker and the goalkeeper being humanoid robots. However, insights for the ongoing World Cup cannot be drawn from this event, as only Chinese teams are competing against each other, given that the People’s Republic did not qualify for the World Cup in Canada, the US, and Mexico.
Image: 2025 GSMA / MWC
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