by Games of the Future 2026 in Astana received a champion in the discipline Phygital Football UFL presented by Samruk-Kazyna. After six days of competition and a dramatic final decided by penalties, the NS Team won the title, while the Montenegrin representative KMF Titograd finished their performance in the round of 16 and placed among the 12 best teams.
The tournament was held from August 4 to 9 at the Qazaqstan Sports Complex in Astana. 16 teams participated, and the total prize pool was 625.000 dollars.
What is Phygital Football?
Phygital Football combines digital football and futsal. Each match started with a digital phase in the UFL game, after which the teams took the field and played a physical phase in a five-on-five format.
Photo source: GOTF Astana 2026 official website
Four players from each team performed in the digital phase. Two players played the first half and the other two played the second half, with each half lasting four minutes. The physical phase was played in two halves of five minutes of pure play.
The goals from both phases were added to the final score. If the result remains tied, the winner is decided by penalties on the physical field.
Participants and groups
The teams were divided into four groups with four participants each, and the group stage was played according to the GSL system without the fifth match.
- Group A: UEL Team, NS Team, Club Holcattes, FC 10
- Group B: Noname Club, FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL, ORLANDO PIRATES FIVES, Tamo Junto
- Group C: Quetzales-Armadillos, KMF Titograd, FFK "ROTOR CISS GROUP", The Vicious
- Group D: Oeste SP, ACF x Allur, Penarol, LOS TRONCOS FC
KMF Titograd represented Montenegro
KMF Titograd arrived at the main tournament after an excellent performance at Phygital Contenders Astana 2026, where they won second place and earned a spot at the Games of the Future.
Photo source: official website of GOTF Astana 2026
The Montenegrin team opened the competition against the then current champion Quetzales-Armadillos. The Mexican team won the digital part 1:0 and the physical part 2:1, for the final 3:1. Despite the defeat, KMF Titograd was in the game for a tie until the end of the match.
In the elimination match of the group, KMF Titograd defeated The Vicious with 7:4. The digital phase ended with a score of 1:0, while the Montenegrin team won 6:4 in a very efficient physical part.
Titograd thus won the round of 16, where the home team ACF x Allur was waiting for them. The Kazakh team gained a 3:1 advantage in the digital part, and won the physical segment 2:1, for the final 5:2.
KMF Titograd finished the tournament in the round of 16, i.e. among the 12 best teams. In Astana, the team achieved one win and two losses, with a total goal difference of 10:12.
- Quetzales-Armadillos 3:1 KMF Titograd
- KMF Titograd 7:4 The Vicious
- ACF x Allur 5:2 KMF Titograd
The Gamers Life team takes this opportunity to congratulate the team, professional staff and partners on their success!
Round of XNUMX
The group winners advanced directly to the quarterfinals, while the remaining teams played in the round of 16 for four places among the top eight.
- ORLANDO PIRATES FIVES 1:5 UEL Team
- Club Holcattes 4:2 Tamo Junto
- ACF x Allur 5:2 KMF Titograd
- FFK "ROTOR CISS GROUP" 2:1 LOS TRONCOS FC
Quarterfinals
Two of the four quarter-final duels were decided by penalties or by a minimum margin. Quetzales-Armadillos eliminated UEL Team, Club Holcattes eliminated Penarol after a penalty, NS Team was convincing against ACF x Allur, while FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL defeated FFK "ROTOR CISS GROUP".
- Quetzales-Armadillos 3:1 UEL Team
- Penarol 4:5 Club Holcattes, after penalties
- NS Team 6:1 ACF x Allur
- FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL 2:1 FFK "ROTOR CISS GROUP"
Semi-final
Quetzales-Armadillos played out a 0-0 draw against Club Holcattes in the digital phase, but scored two goals on the physical field and reached their second consecutive GOTF final.
The second semi-final was much more dramatic. NS Team and FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL played 1:1 in the digital and 1:1 in the physical phase. NS Team then won the penalty shoot-out 3:2, so the official total score was 5:4.
- Quetzales-Armadillos 2:0 Club Holcattes
- NS Team 5:4 FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL, after penalties
Dramatic finale goes to NS Team
Quetzales-Armadillos won the digital phase of the final 1:0, and then took the lead on the physical field. NS Team still managed to come back, and a goal by Chamo just 18,5 seconds before the end brought the tie and penalties.
The decisive moment occurred in the fourth series, when Quetzales-Armadillos missed a penalty. NS Team completed the turnaround and celebrated with an official total score of 7:6.
Photo source: official website of GOTF Astana 2026
In the third place match, FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL defeated Club Holcattes 1:0. The digital phase ended without goals, and the only goal was scored in the physical part.
- Final: NS Team 7:6 Quetzales-Armadillos, after penalties
- Third place: FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL 1:0 Club Holcattes
Final Top 4 and awards
- NS Team – $150.000
- Quetzales-Armadillos – $85.000
- FC OLYMPIC PHYGITAL – $50.000
- Club Holcattes – $40.000
NS Team reached the title undefeated and stopped the attempt of the Quetzales-Armadillos team to defend the trophy. For the Montenegrin audience, the tournament had additional significance thanks to the performance of KMF Titograd, which passed the group elimination and finished among the top 12 at one of the world's largest phygital competitions.
Sources: the official Games of the Future portal, the official page of the discipline Phygital Football and the official platform with the results of the Games of the Future 2026.
