Phygital International has officially confirmed that the Games of the Future 2026 will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 29 July to 9 August 2026.
More than 900 competitors from over 50 nationalities are expected to take part, competing for a share of the $US4.75m prize pool in front of more than 100,000 fans across multiple arenas in the capital of Kazakhstan – Astana.
The 2026 program spans eight disciplines across two categories — phygital sports and esports. The confirmed phygital sports are Phygital Football, Phygital Basketball, Phygital Shooter, Phygital Dancing, and Phygital Fighting.
The esports program will feature multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) competitions across both PC and mobile platforms – as well as Battle Royale, one of the world’s most widely followed gaming formats.
Competition events will take place across five major venues in Astana, including Barys Arena, Beeline Arena, the Athletics Sports Complex “Qazaqstan”, Alau Ice Palace, and the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace.
The 2026 edition builds on the momentum of the Games of the Future 2025 in Abu Dhabi, which delivered significant global reach and audience engagement.
According to independently verified figures, the tournament drew:
- 461 million broadcast views
- 137 million viewers worldwide
- 59 million hours watched.
There were a further 388 million views across social media platforms — demonstrating the fast-growing international audience for phygital sport.
Building on this momentum, Phygital International has also officially opened the host city bidding process for the 2028, 2029, and 2030 editions of the Games of the Future. Cities and nations with the vision, infrastructure, and commitment to deliver a world-class phygital event are invited to submit their interest by 1 August 2026. Find out more here.
You can also catch up with all the action from the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 on the official OTT platform tv.gofuture.games.
