ASTANA — What happens when a video game result carries over to a basketball court, football pitch or combat arena? That is the central idea behind phygital sport, which combines digital and physical competition within a single match. As Astana hosts the Games of the Future 2026 powered by Samruk-Kazyna (GOTF 2026) from July 29 to Aug.
9, athletes and organizers told The Astana Times how competition, technology and live production are being brought together across the city. Phygital Basketball Presented by Halyk Fund. Photo credit: GOTF 2026 / Collage is created by The Astana Times More than 800 athletes representing over 50 nationalities are competing in eight disciplines across four venues.
The combined prize pool exceeds $4.5 million, with payouts extending beyond the medal positions, allowing teams to earn prize money based on their final placement. Reaching audiences across markets and platforms According to preliminary estimates provided by the organizers, broadcasts from the first five days of GOTF 2026 generated approximately 185 million views across television, streaming and community-streaming platforms.
The tournament is being distributed in more than 16 languages through 54 media-rights partners and 120 community streamers, approximately twice the distribution network used for the 2025 edition in Abu Dhabi. Alibek Khassenov. Photo credit: GOTF 2026 Alongside major platforms such as Huya, Bilibili, DouYu, VK, Rutube and Play TV, community streamers bring the competition to audiences through the creators, teams and games they already follow.
This allows GOTF 2026 to reach viewers beyond conventional sports broadcasting. “What makes the Astana edition distinctive is not only its size, but the number of different competition formats operating simultaneously. Each discipline has its own technical requirements, rules and audience expectations, yet all eight must function within one coordinated event system across several venues,” the head of the Games of the Future 2026 powered by Samruk-Kazyna Directorate Alibek Khassenov told The Astana Times.
“The scale lies in bringing those separate environments together without losing the identity or competitive integrity of each discipline,” he added. Those disciplines can attract markedly different audiences. Established esports titles arrive with international fan bases and professional players who are already well known within their gaming communities.
Newer hybrid formats, by contrast, must introduce their rules while building recognition around their clubs and athletes. Among the audience was Vladislav Bakhmetev, who traveled to Astana primarily to attend the PUBG tournament. He began playing the game in 2020 and has since closely followed its professional competitions.
“I play PUBG and am a big fan of the game. I follow the professional scene closely, so I learned about the tournament almost immediately after it was announced. I am glad major competitions are happening in this region, and I am especially happy to see how Kazakhstan has organized the PUBG tournament,” Bakhmetev told The Astana Times.