Samruk-Kazyna leads sponsors for Games of the Future 2026

Phygital International disclosed the full sponsor lineup for Games of the Future 2026, naming Samruk-Kazyna as title sponsor and confirming a slate of Kazakh finance and infrastructure companies as partners. The event is scheduled for July 29 to August 9, 2026, in Astana.

Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, will carry title-sponsor branding and the event will be promoted as Games of the Future 2026, Powered by Samruk Kazyna. The fund manages state-owned assets across sectors including oil and gas, mining, transport and energy.

The tournament is organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Phygital International as promoter and rights holder, and the World Phygital Community, a non-profit that sets rules for phygital sports and runs qualifying events.

Seven companies are listed as general sponsors: the Halyk Charitable Fund, Bank CenterCredit, Alatau City Bank (formerly Jusan Bank), Kazzinc, Solidcore Resources (formerly Polymetal), Freedom Holding operating as Freedom Bank Kazakhstan, and Yandex Go. A group of corporate partners is supporting the Games as official sponsors, including Lancaster Group, Beeline Kazakhstan, BI Group, Kazakhtelecom and Air Astana.

Games of the Future uses a phygital format that combines digital and physical competition. Competitors first take part in a video-game version of a sport and then play the same sport in real life. Combined scores from both the digital and physical rounds determine final results. Organisers have cited phygital basketball as an example, where teams score in a basketball video game before playing a physical match on court.

The 2026 edition will offer a total prize pool of 4.75 million US dollars across eight disciplines. The programme will include both phygital events and pure esports tournaments. Esports titles on the schedule include Dota 2, Counter-Strike and PUBG.

Several international esports organisations are confirmed to compete, with entries announced from Team Vitality, Team Falcons, T1, Twisted Minds, Virtus.pro and Bigetron by Vitality.

Organisers say the World Phygital Community will continue to oversee qualifying events and the rules framework for phygital competitions. Phygital International will retain promotion and commercial rights, while the Ministry of Tourism and Sports is responsible for coordinating national-level support and logistics in Astana during the event dates.

The sponsor list brings together banks, miners, telecom operators and logistics partners from Kazakhstan. The combination of a state investment fund and private corporate sponsors forms the commercial backing for the Games of the Future 2026.