Robot World Cup Kicks Off in China, Aim Is to Beat Human Champions by 2050

Look out—the robots are coming. 

The World Cup could have a very different look come 2050, according to some scientists. 

On Sunday, the 2015 RoboCup began in Hefei, China.

Yes—it is a football World Cup. 

For robots.

The tournament was set up in 1997, and its objective is clear, according to the competition's official website: 

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By the middle of the 21st century, a team of fully autonomous humanoid robot soccer players shall win a soccer game, complying with the official rules of FIFA, against the winner of the most recent World Cup.

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Looking at the video above, they still have a long way to go, but the participants believe they can achieve their objective.

"Ten years ago, this would have seemed difficult—but we have made such huge progress in the last 10 years, that it is definitely possible," professor Daniel Polani, manager of a team from the University of Hertfordshire, told the BBC. "It is not entirely unrealistic."

Let's hope we humans are still around in 2050 to accept the challenge. 

[YouTube CCTV+, h/t the BBC]