[Paek Jongmin's Shockwave] "The Robot Scored on Its Own"... The Meaning of Korea's Soccer Robot and Its Precious First Victory

The First RoboCup 2026 in Korea: A Grand Festival of Robot Soccer

First Goal, First Victory: Korean Team Achieves Results with a Self-Made Robot Despite Lower Rankings

Chinese Robots and Teams Dominate the Competition

Korea Lags in Ro

At 3:50 PM on July 3, the Hanyang University and AeroBot 'Heroes' team kicked off their robot soccer match at Songdo Convensia in Incheon. Although this was not a human soccer game, the stands were filled with spectators whose curious faces showed their excitement to witness the Korean team taking on this new frontier.

Hanyang University and AeroBot team's robot Alice5, participating in RoboCup 2026, is scoring its first goal. Photo by Yunsul Eom, CEO of AeroBot, captured from Facebook.

The humanoid robot 'Alice5', designed to mimic a human, appeared somewhat unstable. Its gait also seemed lacking in something. Both the observers and the researchers looked uneasy. A wheelchair was prepared in case the robot fell.

Nevertheless, the match began. Our robot walked steadily toward the soccer ball and kicked it toward the goal. The goal was declared. It was the first goal ever scored by a Korean robot at RoboCup.

The moment Alice5 scored its first goal, a loud cheer echoed through the stadium. It was Yunsul Eom, the CEO of AeroBot. Even during practice before the official game, CEO Eom looked anxious, but now she could not hide her joy, feeling that “we did it.” The crowd also erupted in cheers, celebrating the goal. This was the first goal ever scored by a Korean team in the RoboCup Humanoid Large League.

◆ Eight years after falling at the ski slope, from the first goal to the first win = RoboCup 2026, a soccer tournament for robots, was held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon from June 30 to July 5. The official matches took place over three days starting July 2. This year, 2,879 participants from 364 teams representing 45 countries took part. Each team, consisting of researchers from companies and universities, brought robots they had carefully trained with artificial intelligence (AI) and participated in the competition.

The core of the competition was soccer. Robots of various forms attempted to score goals against their opponents, not so different from human soccer. Of course, there were differences. For instance, while Chinese teams generally struggle in human soccer tournaments, they dominated the upper ranks in this event.

Diana, the Hanyang University - Aerobot team’s entry in the robot ski competition held during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, is racing forward. Diana failed to complete the course after colliding with the fence without properly passing through the red and blue gates required by the competition rules. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

As a reporter, I had previously watched Hanyang University's robot race in the robot ski competition held during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Back then, the robot aimed to complete the course with help from a former national ski team researcher, but failed to finish. Eight years later, the same research team’s soccer robot scored its first goal and achieved its first victory. Although they did not make it to the final round, for Alice5—barely over a month old—and the Hanyang University–AeroBot team, it was a precious opportunity to gain real-world experience.

The humanoid robots I saw at the venue also made frequent mistakes. They would walk toward the ball, then fall sideways, or sit down while turning. Sometimes they hesitated in front of the goal. Spectators would cheer or sigh in response. When a robot that had fallen started moving again, the crowd was surprised, and when it stood up, they applauded. Reactions ranged from “It’s more impressive than I expected” to “It’s still not perfect.”

The Hanyang University Airobot team is inspecting the robot that participated in RoboCup 2026. At that time, there were concerns about whether the robot could walk properly and not fall, but they succeeded in scoring the first goal and securing their first win. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

According to the official results of the RoboCup Humanoid Soccer League, the Large Humanoid division was won by the team from Tsinghua University in China. Second place went to China Agricultural University, and third place to Beijing Information Science & Technology University. The Korean team competed in this league, but overcoming the formidable Chinese teams was difficult.

The Chinese teams used their domestically produced commercial robots, Booster Robotics. Their human team members only needed to develop the soccer-playing AI. In contrast, the Hanyang University–AeroBot team had to develop both the robot hardware and the AI.

Hanyang University and Airobot team members are walking the Alice5 robot during RoboCup 2026. Alice5, which was completed in assembly last May, has significantly improved its walking performance by continuing to learn during the competition period. Photo by Yunseol Eom, CEO of Airobot, Facebook

The Chinese robots dominating the competition venue stood about 1.2 meters tall, roughly the height of a lower-grade elementary school student. In contrast, Hanyang University–AeroBot’s Alice5 stood at 1.7 meters.

The Booster Robotics robots, with features like soccer-specific handles, made things easier for their research teams. By comparison, Alice’s tall stature made it more challenging for the Hanyang University–AeroBot team to handle. Yet, they proudly entered the competition with a robot as tall as an adult male.

The Chinese teams were even stronger than last year. According to the official results, Tsinghua University won the championship for the second consecutive year, beating China Agricultural University 6-2 in the final. They also dominated their preliminary matches by overwhelming margins. Tsinghua University’s tactical play was superior to that of other teams.

In the Middle-size Robot League, a German team claimed the championship, maintaining their reputation as a soccer powerhouse. However, since they also used Chinese robots, it was difficult to call it a complete victory.

Judging by the results, the Korean team’s performance may seem disappointing: one win, one draw, and three losses. Alice5 ranked 17th in the Large Humanoid division. Still, the first goal and first victory were the hard-earned results of the researchers’ sweat and tears. Although the gap with the world’s top teams was evident, the experience also brought hope.

◆ Chinese robots are formidable, but dancing robots and soccer-playing robots are not the same = The most dominant presence in this tournament was, of course, the Chinese robots. According to the People’s Daily, 38 teams in the competition used Booster Robotics robots.

Chinese robots performed impressively across the large, middle, and small divisions. One industry official stated, “Chinese soccer robots are also supplied to Korea. Prices vary depending on AI functions and performance, but you can buy one for tens of millions of won.”

Before watching the matches, I assumed Chinese robots would have overwhelming superiority, but the reality was different. Even among teams using the same Chinese platform, some robots moved stably toward the ball and executed strategic formations like humans.

On the other hand, some teams’ robots did not function properly. Even with good hardware, differences in match performance were due to the varying levels of match-specific AI each team had developed.

The perfectly synchronized group dancing and tumbling by Chinese robots, seen in numerous videos, was quite different from the soccer matches. It reminded me of the Korean national soccer team, which failed to make the final 32 in the World Cup despite having world-class players, due to inadequate coaching strategies.

Teams using commercial robots from China are competing in matches at RoboCup 2026. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

The outcomes in humanoid soccer ultimately came down to AI and control software. Abilities such as recognizing the ball, estimating one’s own position, recovering after a fall, maintaining balance while walking, and deciding which direction to shoot all had to work together.

The robots had to grapple with each other like humans, and sometimes fell. Robots with properly functioning AI could stand up and resume play on their own, while others had to be removed by humans.

The synchronized movements of robots to music, or imitating humans on stage, are powered by reinforcement learning-based motion generation technology. But the soccer field was different from a stage: there was no set music or choreography.

The ball rolled in unpredictable directions, opposing robots blocked the way, and robots collided with each other. Passing to teammates or stealing the ball from opponents was not easy. Even the Chinese robots, which danced so well using reinforcement learning, did not have perfect AI for playing matches entirely on their own.

◆ Korean team’s achievement with a self-made robot = Beyond their single victory, Hanyang University–AeroBot’s Alice5 achieved much more. Outside matches, Alice5 walked around the event hall, drawing the attention of spectators. With each match, Alice5’s walking and soccer skills improved. These accomplishments led to the team winning the “Best Self-Developed Humanoid Robot Award.”

Alice5 stands at 1.7 meters—about the height of an adult male. The robot was developed with the goal of replacing human labor in high-risk and high-intensity industrial environments. Due to the laws of physics, taller robots face greater challenges in maintaining balance and precise control, and they are at a disadvantage in moving quickly.

Professor Jaekwon Han of Hanyang University, who led the development, expressed both regret and optimism. He stated, “In the last match, we fought bravely and gave it our all, deploying every robot we had. The new version of Alice5, which has only been completed for a little over a month, made significant progress in real-world performance through this RoboCup experience.” He added, “We now have the confidence that the robot can walk well anywhere. I am incredibly proud of our researchers for perfecting the robot so quickly in such a short period.”

Another notable achievement was CEO Eom winning the individual special award, the “Silvia Coradeschi RoboCup Award.” This award was established in honor of the late Professor Silvia Coradeschi, a founding director and early pioneer of RoboCup. It is given to female engineers who have contributed to the RoboCup community and the field of robotics. CEO Eom, together with her husband Professor Han, is at the forefront of advancing the Korean humanoid industry.

CEO Eom described the first victory as “a valuable win.” She recalled that on the first day of the competition, Alice5, then only one month and ten days old, could not stand properly and kept falling forward. She said, “Our hardware researchers worked through the night to revive the Alice robots whose heads broke after tumbling over, while the software researchers completed the walking function.” She explained, “Bringing a robot back to life in a single night is never an easy task.”

CEO Eom emphasized that, overcoming adversity, Alice5 managed to stand up, walk, and kick the ball by itself in the next day’s match. She said, “It was a 1.7-meter-tall robot playing soccer autonomously without a handler—in a 100% autonomous soccer match.” She continued, “The result of the third match was 3-0; Alice finally achieved its first victory. It was a valuable win, earned for the first time against the Chinese-made robots that dominated 90% of the competition.”

She also highlighted, “The biggest achievement of this RoboCup was completing the walking function. Although there is still a long way to go before robots can truly coexist with humans, I hope people will remember the path we are taking.”

A Chinese robot participating in RoboCup 2026 is waving to the audience. Photo by Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist

The tournament also left clear challenges. Korean robots have grown, but a significant gap remains, and there are areas where they can catch up. Professor Myung from KAIST noted, “There’s no rule saying the robot field cannot have a dramatic breakthrough like ChatGPT or AlphaGo in AI, but there are still many issues to overcome.”

Professor Myung cited group formations during matches and collaboration with other robots as challenges. He particularly pointed out, “There is room for us to catch up in hardware, but ultimately, the outcome will be determined by the AI that drives the robots.”

◆ Why we should cheer for falling robots = The Korean humanoid industry is at a critical juncture. Compared to China’s price competitiveness and supply chain, Germany’s accumulated software, and America’s AI research ecosystem, Korea still has many shortcomings. However, seeing a robot made with our own hands score a goal by itself is proof that Korea has not given up on this competition yet.

The final standings of RoboCup 2026 showed China’s victory, but Chinese robots are not perfect either. For this reporter, who saw robots falling on the ski slopes in 2018, witnessing the first goal in Incheon in 2026 was a significant step forward. RoboCup’s goal is to have human-level soccer robots by 2050. If Korean humanoids accelerate their pursuit, this goal is within reach.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.