2025/26 phygital tournament season ends on high note

The 2025/26 tournament season was a massive success, say organisers. The global rankings have been published and we now know who will go straight through to Games of the Future in July – and who must battle again.

In this article

Key takeaways from this year’s phygital season
What this means for Phygital Contenders in Astana

The World Phygital Community (WPC) says its 2025/26 tournament season was its most successful ever. With the publication of its latest rankings, we know who goes straight to Games of the Future — and who must battle again in Phygital Contenders.

WPC member organisations around the world host two tiers of official tournaments throughout the season. Phygital Origins are regional-level events while Phygital Rivals are higher-tier, national-level competitions. Points earned across both feed into a global ranking system. The top four clubs in each discipline globally qualify directly for the Games of the Future. Those ranked fifth or below must compete at Phygital Contenders – a final qualification event – for the remaining places.

A season of record growth

The headline numbers tell the story of a movement that is expanding rapidly:

	2024/25	2025/26
Total tournaments	308	382
Phygital Origins	144	151
Phygital Rivals	164	231
WPC member nations	66	82
Countries represented	60	79

Total tournament applications rose 24% year-on-year to 382, driven largely by a 41% surge in Phygital Rivals events (164 to 231). The WPC members hosting tournaments rose from 66 to 82, while the number of countries represented rose over 30% to 79.

Next stop: Phygital Contenders 2026 Astana

With season rankings now confirmed, the focus turns to Phygital Contenders 2026 Astana (10–15 June), the final qualification stage before the Games of the Future. Clubs and athletes from 23 countries will compete across three disciplines for the remaining slots including 16 clubs taking part in Phygital Football, 10 in Phygital Basketball and 15 athletes taking part in Phygital Dancing. Phygital Shooter will not feature at Contenders because all ranked teams in that discipline qualified directly for GOTF 2026.

Basketball teams in Spain celebrate with WPC chairperson Dan Merkley

You can find the full list of those who qualified for GOTF 2026 and those who progressed through to Phygital Contenders here.

John Hewitt, International Marketing & Communications Director at Phygital International, said: “The level of competition and diversity of participants shows how rapidly the ecosystem is evolving. As teams compete for their place at the Games of the Future this summer, we are seeing a stronger and more competitive global field emerge.”

Phygital Contenders also provides test run for Astana itself, which will host the Games of the Future 2026 from 29 July to 9 August. That event will bring together more than 900 athletes from over 50 countries, competing across multiple phygital disciplines (Phygital Football, Phygital Basketball, Phygital Dancing, Phygital Shooter, Phygital Fighting) and esports formats (MOBA on PC and mobile, Battle Royale). Prize money for the whole tournament totals more than US$4 million.

For more information visit the official Games of the Future site or contact press@phygitalinternational.com