Games of the Future Astana 2026 – all you need to know

The final lineup 

There will be eight disciplines being contested in Astana with a total prize pot of over $US4 million up for grabs. Over 800 participants – representing 40+ phygital clubs from around the world – will be competing for glory.

Phygital Football 

• Game title: UFL  
• Prize fund: US$625,000 
• Teams to watch: historic Peñarol, King League’s LOS TRONCOS FC, ORLANDO PIRATES FIVES, and home team ACF x Allur who recently won the Phygital Contenders title.

Home team ACF x Allur will be hoping to repeat their Phygital Contenders success

Phygital Basketball 

• Game title: 3on3 FreeStyle
• Prize fund: US$400,000
• Teams to watch:  PBC Astana, Boca Juniors, Valencia Basket and recent Phygital Contenders champion ZM NITUI.

Phygital Shooter 

• Game title: Counter- Strike 2 (one of the world’s biggest esports titles) 
• Prize fund: US$150,000 
• Teams to watch: Eternal Fire, Clan Pedrajas and GOTF 2025 third-place finishers Minsk House.

Phygital Dancing 

• Game title: Just Dance 
• Prize fund: US$75,000
• Names to watch: Three-time Just Dance World Cup champion Umutcan Tütüncü, leading competitive performers Ariana Katana and Angelo Mokonenyane, and recent Phygital Contenders champ Andres Guardo.  

MOBA PC:

• Game title: Dota 2
• Prize fund: US$1 million
• Teams to watch: Global powerhouses LGD Gaming, Xtreme Gaming and VICI GAMING

Battle Royale

• Game title: PUBG: Battlegrounds
• Prize fund: $US1 million
• Teams to watch: Famous names such as Team Vitality, Team Falcons, Virtus.pro, Twisted Minds, Geekay Esports and T1.

Phygital Fighting 

• Game title: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
• Prize fund: US$500,000
• Teams to watch: Kuznya, SOLDIERS OF FORCHUNE and SWORD.

The MOBA Mobile lineup will be announced soon and you can find the full list of participants by discipline here. 

How to watch

Phygital International’s new streaming platform Phygital+ will be carrying all the matches live with commentary throughout the tournament. Fans will also be able to watch highlight packages, interviews and get exclusive behind-the-scenes access via the service.

Many streamers will also be showing action from inside the arenas. The  GOTF Streaming Community receive official access to the broadcast feed which they can then stream to their followers around the world.

You can also stay up to date with all the latest results on the event’s official social media channels on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.  

What else is going on?

The official draw 

With the full roster of participants now confirmed, the next stage is the Games of the Future Astana 2026 Draw Ceremony, which will decide the tournament brackets and opening matchups across each discipline. You can watch the ceremony live from Astana on Phygital+ on Tuesday 7 July at 7pm local time (+5 UTC).

Phygital Sports Summit

On Wednesday 29 July, Phygital International will be hosting the annual Phygital Sports Summit at the International Center of Artificial Intelligence in Astana (Alem AI). The one-day event will bring together sports and esports luminaries to explore how physical sports, gaming and innovative tech are reshaping lives, cities and cultures across the world.

Rhiannon Jones

The summit will be hosted by international news and sports presenter Rhiannon Jones. Speakers will include Ursula Romero, CEO of International Sports Broadcasting (ISB), Chris Roberts OBE, CEO of International Boxing Association (IBA) and Dipesh Makwana, Head of Business Development (Media, Entertainment, Games & Sport) at Alibaba Cloud. 

Panel discussions will include topics such as The Phygital Economy: Where Sport Meets Business, and The Rise of the Phygital Athlete: A New Generation of Competitors.

Comic Con Astana 

Running alongside Games of the Future will be Comic Con Astana 2026, which bills itself as the country’s “largest geek culture festival, uniting fans of film, games, comics, anime, and cosplay!”