The champion of the Future Games 2026 in the PUBG: Battlegrounds discipline has been determined in Astana. The Chinese team 17 Gaming took the victory with 131 points, as reported by infohub.kz.
During the GOTF 2026 tournament, held in the capital of Kazakhstan, the 16 strongest world teams in this discipline played 15 matches. After intense competition, first place went to 17 Gaming, founded in 2018. Second place was taken by Vietnam's GAM The Expendables (120 points), and third by France's Team Vitality (106 points), which has been competing on cyber arenas since 2013.
The tournament was extremely competitive: the champion was determined only on the final map, and the leaders changed throughout all three game days. The winner received $300,000 in prize money, the silver medalist $120,000, and the bronze medalist $100,000. Kazakhstan's DIGA Esports, making its debut at tournaments of this level, scored 59 points, took 14th place, and earned $15,000.
DIGA Esports athlete Sanzhar Kaliyev shared his impressions: "Besides us, 15 of the world's best teams participated in the tournament, so it was very hard to play. But I think we showed a decent result, and it was a great honor for us to participate in such a tournament. We heard and saw the support of the fans, and it truly warmed our hearts. The first day was an adaptation for us, the second was easier, and the third, I believe, went well. Our team has players who had never even competed in major European events, and here we faced world champions. So 14th place among teams of this level is not a bad result."
One of the highlights for the Kazakh team was their victory in the eighth match of the tournament, which was met with a standing ovation from the audience at the capital's Beeline Arena. Recall that the Future Games 2026 are taking place in Astana from July 29 and will conclude on August 9. The program includes eight disciplines, with a total prize fund of $4.65 million. The organizer is JSC "Kazsportinvest" with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Akimat of Astana. After the conclusion of the Battle Royale – PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Presented by Alatau City Bank, the tournament continues with other disciplines.
The final matches of Phygital Basketball will take place on Monday, August 3, and the MOBA PC Dota 2 Presented by Bank CenterCredit competition will run until August 5. Starting August 4, tournaments for Phygital Football UFL, Phygital Shooter CS 2, and MOBA Mobile MLBB will begin. Phygital Dancing competitions will be held on August 6-7, and Phygital Fighting on August 8.