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The National
5 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Inside Abu Dhabi's Games of the Future, new tournament merging gaming and physical sport
Preparations are well under way for the Games of the Future 2025, a phygital sport event being hosted by Abu Dhabi in December. Organised by Phygital International, phygital sport combines traditional athletic disciplines with digital gaming. A football qualifying event for the Games of the Future took place in the UAE capital last week. It was a chance for players to book their place at the main event, which will be held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from December 18 to 23 and has prize pool of $5 million. Dan Merkley, chairperson and managing director of the World Phygital Community, described the football qualifier as an 'excellent curtain-raiser' for the Games of the Future 2025, which will involve 11 disciplines: phygital football; phygital basketball; phygital shooting; phygital fighting; phygital dancing; battle royale; multiplayer online battle arena PC; multiplayer online battle arena mobile; drone racing; VR games; and battle of robots. Nis Hatt, chief executive of Phygital International, believes Abu Dhabi is a natural fit for an event with global aspirations. The UAE capital was announced as host city in June. 'With its bold vision for sport and technology, the UAE is the ideal stage for this groundbreaking event,' he said. 'Since the inaugural Games, phygital sports have grown into a global movement and this year's edition promises to be our most exciting yet.' Phygital athletes compete in both digital and physical versions of the same discipline. Each event is split into two stages: one played in a virtual environment and another carried out in real life. Final results are based on combined performance across both parts, creating a link between esports and physical sport. Organisers say the format aims to engage digital-native audiences and promote a new category of inclusive, tech-integrated competition. Hatt sees the Games in Abu Dhabi as an a global opportunity to engage younger audiences. 'This is a great opportunity to incentivise our young audience, girls and boys, wherever they are in the world,' he said in a previous interview with The National. 'We know that there are hundreds of millions, if not billions, of young people gaming every day in every country around the world. No matter where it is, you will have a minister of health, minister of sport or minister of tourism that will sit and focus on this and this for us is really, really crucial.' Games of the Future began in 2024 in Kazan, Russia, and featured 2,000 athletes from more than 100 countries, attracting more than 300,000 fans. Organisers say the 2025 event in Abu Dhabi will build on that momentum and introduce the format to a new regional audience in the Middle East.
Globe and Mail
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
World Phygital Community Announces Global Qualifying Tournament Season 2025/2026
Season anticipated to be biggest ever before the Games of the Future 2026 in Kazakhstan HONG KONG , April 15, 2025 /CNW/ -- Today, the World Phygital Community (WPC) announces the 2025/2026 ranking tournament season for athletes and clubs aiming to qualify for the Games of the Future in Kazakhstan next year. Running from August 1st to December 15th, 2025 , the tournaments hosted by WPC members worldwide, will provide the opportunity for clubs and athletes to show their prowess in phygital sports and qualify to compete at the largest global phygital sport's event next year. During the season, phygital competitors will participate in a round of regional tournaments within each participating country called Phygital Origins, followed by national tournaments, which are called Phygital Rivals. Dan Merkley , Chairperson of the WPC , said, "This new season will be the biggest ever. With 96 World Phygital Community members across 92 countries, this is the chance for anyone who wants to be part of this fast-growing phenomenon to step up and prove themselves. Phygital sport is for everyone, and we are eager to see which phygital superstars emerge this season." Tournaments can feature the following core disciplines: Phygital Football, Phygital Basketball, Phygital Shooter and Phygital Dancing. The first three consist of two stages—a digital round, where athletes compete in a video game version of the discipline, followed by a physical round, where they face off in a real-world version of the discipline. Phygital Dancing tournaments use well-known dancing video games to deliver the phygital experience in a single stage. Following conclusion of these tournaments in December, rankings are calculated and the top two clubs and athletes in each discipline will go straight through to the Games of the Future 2026, while clubs and athletes placed 3 rd – 26 th will go through to the Phygital Contenders tournament to fight for their place at the event. Prior to the season starting, all WPC members can apply to host Phygital Origins and Phygital Rivals tournaments from May 1st till July 31st, 2025 . Notes to Editors: About the World Phygital Community (WPC): The World Phygital Community (WPC) is a non-profit, international organization that aims to promote phygital sport worldwide by uniting physical and digital communities globally. It is responsible for providing guardianship of the rules and regulations of phygital sport and hosting the Phygital Origins and Phygital Rivals. The winners from the Phygital Origins progress to the Phygital Rivals, facing other Phygital Origins winners, for a chance to compete at the Games of the Future. For more information please visit: 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 and is the pinnacle of phygital sport. The tournament brings together the next generation of phygital sporting heroes from all over the world to compete in a diverse range of phygital disciplines and challenges. The Games of the Future 2025 will be held in the UAE while The Games of the Future 2026 will be held in Kazakhstan . For more information please visit: Video - Photo - Photo - Logo - View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE World Phygital Community (WPC)
