Robots to take on 2050 World Cup winners?

It has been said before that teams like Barcelona and Spain are almost robotic in their style of football – but who would win if the world's best went up against a team of androids?

This fantasy football-style poser could be answered by 2050, with organisers of the RoboCup tournament hopeful of taking on the human World Cup winners.

Around 1,000 robots marched on to a pitch in the Netherlands last week to show off their skills, and improving technology could enable them to match up against the Xavi, Messi and Iniesta's of 2050.

The droids communicate via Wi-Fi and they even have pre-programmed goal celebrations which could lead to an even more authentic rendition of Peter Crouch's robot dance.

Perhaps the only chance of the humans winning in 2050 will be through disharmony of the robots – will they go the way of Premier League footballers and overindulge in alcohol, fast cars and women?