Tomorrow, Kazakhstan will host the first-ever international multi-sport tournament "Future Games". From July 29 to August 9, Astana will host "Future Games 2026", a new-format international competition combining esports, traditional sports, and modern technologies. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
At a briefing at the Central Communications Service, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports Serik Zharasbayev reported on the preparation progress. The main feature of the Future Games is that this year the competition will be held in a club format. That is, not national teams but international clubs will compete. A single team can include athletes from different countries. In phygital disciplines, athletes first compete in virtual space and then continue the competition on a real sports field," said the speaker.
Competitions in 8 disciplines
Within the framework of the Future Games 2026 tournament, competitions will be held in 8 disciplines: phygital football, phygital basketball, phygital martial arts, phygital shooter, phygital dance, Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and PUBG: Battlegrounds. Currently, about 400 athletes from 24 countries have arrived. All competitions will be organized at four major sports venues in the capital: the Qazaqstan Athletics Sports Complex, the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace, the BEELINE Arena National Tennis Center, and Barys Arena.
Prize fund
"The total prize fund of the tournament from sponsorship funds is $4.65 million US dollars. In particular, Dota 2 and PUBG: Battlegrounds disciplines each have a prize fund of $1 million US dollars," said Zharasbayev.
Phygital International CEO Dan Merkley called Astana the most suitable venue for the Future Games 2026 tournament. The Future Games tournament is based on a new model of sport that combines physical fitness and competitive gaming within a single discipline. According to him, today this idea has become a truly global movement. Phygital sports are developing in more than 115 countries worldwide, uniting athletes, clubs, technology partners, and sports organizations that share a common vision for the future of sports. "Astana is the most suitable place to host the tournament. Kazakhstan has shown a real commitment to investing in innovation, technology, youth development, and international cooperation. Over the next 12 days, the world's strongest athletes will compete in eight disciplines. We are proud to bring together representatives from around the world in Astana and to showcase Kazakhstan to a wide international audience," said the speaker.
Preparation of Kazakhstani athletes
Speaking about the development of phygital sports in Kazakhstan, President of Kazsportinvest JSC Alibek Khasenov said that Kazakhstani athletes can show good results in a number of disciplines at the Future Games 2026 tournament. "Our teams that performed at previous Future Games achieved good results. For example, in the phygital shooter discipline, they took first place twice in a row. This year we hope to repeat this success and pin our main hopes on the Counter-Strike 2 discipline," the speaker said at a press conference at the Central Communications Service. There are also good opportunities in the phygital football discipline.