Humanoid robots compete in an artificial intelligence-powered three-a-side soccer tournament in Beijing on June 28. The competition, the first of its kind in China, featured four teams from three universities including Tsinghua University. Photo: VCG

Players from China Agricultural University’s Mountain Sea team, wearing green jerseys, and Tsinghua’s THU Robotics team, sporting purple, face off in a match during the three-hour soccer tournament. Photo: VCG

A referee steadies a THU Robotics player as it stumbles over a teammate. Photo: VCG

Spectators are entertained by the tournament. Photo: VCG

Staff remove a player on a stretcher after it was unable to recover from a fall. Photo: VCG

Robots from Tsinghua’s title-winning THU Robotics team take the stage alongside humans. All four teams in the competition use Booster T1 robots, developed by Beijing-based startup Booster Robotics. Photo: VCG