ZM NITUI Crowned Phygital Basketball Champions at Contenders Astana 2026

Astana, Kazakhstan, 14 June 2026:

Packed stands, penalty shootouts and last-minute heroics defined a dramatic day at Phygital Contenders Astana 2026, as teams battled for places in the next stage of the tournament and silverware was decided in Phygital Basketball.

The fourth day of competition delivered some of the tournament’s most memorable moments so far. In Phygital Football, the race for the title intensified as the quarter-finals determined the tournament’s semi-finalists, with two closely contested matches decided by penalty shootouts. Meanwhile, Phygital Basketball reached its climax, crowning the tournament champion after a series of high-intensity contests.

Here’s how the action played out:

PHYGITAL FOOTBALL – DAY FOUR RESULTS

The quarter-finals of the Phygital Football competition delivered four exciting matches, with the final four teams securing their places for tomorrow’s semi-finals.

NS Team advanced after a dramatic encounter against Oeste SP. Following a closely contested match that finished 3–3 across the digital and physical stages, NS Team held their nerve to claim a 2–0 victory in the penalty shootout.

ACF x Allur produced a composed and disciplined performance to defeat NoName Club 5–1. A dominant display in the digital stage provided the platform for victory, with the team maintaining control throughout the physical stage to comfortably progress.

KMF Titograd and Team Cyprus delivered one of the most entertaining matches of the day, combining for ten goals before finishing level at 5–5. The match was ultimately decided on penalties, where KMF Titograd emerged 3–2 winners to book their place in the semi-finals.

FC Olympic Phygital completed the semi-final line-up with a convincing 4–1 victory over Skoljke Katic. After building an early advantage in the digital stage, the team maintained a disciplined approach throughout the physical match to secure progression.

Following the conclusion of the quarter-finals, the four teams advancing to the Phygital Football semi-finals are NS Team, ACF x Allur, KMF Titograd and FC Olympic Phygital.

The final day of Phygital Basketball at Contenders Astana 2026 delivered decisive results as teams battled for places in the Super Final and qualification for the Games of the Future 2026.

ZM NITUI and MINSK completed the group stage unbeaten, securing direct qualification to the Super Final. ZM NITUI topped Group A with a 33–29 victory over Voždovac, while MINSK finished first in Group B after defeating ARENA BULLS 33–27.

In the qualification playoffs, Voždovac overcame Uzbek Hyper Hoops 36–30, Valencia Basket defeated Team Elites 33–23, Team Triada beat GEPCO 38–18, and ARENA BULLS edged BOCA 35–30.

The tournament concluded with a highly anticipated Super Final between the two unbeaten teams. After narrowly winning the digital stage 19–18, ZM NITUI dominated the physical stage 19–9 to secure a 38–27 victory over MINSK and claim the title of Contenders Astana 2026 champions.

Following the conclusion of the tournament, Valencia Basket, Triada, ZM NITUI and MINSK have secured qualification for the Games of the Future 2026, set to take place in Astana from 29 July to 9 August. The remaining qualification places will be determined through the World Phygital Community (WPC) ranking system.

For all results from the Games of the Future 2026, click here.

About Phygital Contenders Astana 2026

Phygital Contenders Astana 2026 is the final qualifying tournament ahead of the Games of the Future 2026, which will take place in Astana from 29 July to 9 August.

Featuring eight disciplines spanning both phygital sports and esports, the international tournament brings together more than 800 participants from over 50 nationalities for 12 days of thrilling action.

To keep up to date with all the latest news on Games of the Future 2026, visit the official website and follow @gamesofthefutureofficial and @gamesofthefuture_astana on social media.

Notes to Editors

Accreditation for media wishing to attend the Games of the Future 2026 is now open and can be requested here.

About Phygital International (PI)

Phygital International is the global promoter of phygital sports, focused on innovating and redefining the future of sport. It is the custodian and rights holder of the Games of the Future and oversees the bidding process for each host city.

For further information, please visit PhygitalInternational.com or contact us at: press@phygitalinternational.com.

About the Games of the Future (GOTF)

The Games of the Future is an annual international event that fuses the worlds of physical and digital competition and represents the pinnacle of phygital sport. The tournament brings together the next generation of phygital sporting heroes from around the world to compete across a diverse range of phygital disciplines and challenges.

The Games of the Future 2025 were held in Abu Dhabi, while the Games of the Future 2026 will be hosted in Astana.

For more information, please visit: https://gofuture.games/.