The world’s leading celebration of phygital sport, where physical performance meets digital gameplay, wrapped its 2026 edition having united athletes, fans and broadcasters from across the globe.

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Aug. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Games of the Future Astana 2026 powered by Samruk-Kazyna has officially concluded after 12 days of high-intensity competition, bringing more than 800 participants from over 50 nationalities to Astana to compete for a prize pool exceeding US$4 million. Some of the world’s leading sports and esports clubs joined emerging phygital talent across eight disciplines, as thousands of fans filled four world-class venues across the city and hundreds of millions more followed the action worldwide.

From 29 July to 9 August, the Games of the Future delivered a showcase of elite physical performance, digital gameplay and strategy, with athletes and clubs from around the world battling for titles across a competition program spanning phygital sport and some of the world’s biggest esports titles. 12 action-packed days produced standout performances and memorable moments across the venues before culminating in eight champions being crowned in Astana.

Athletes and teams went head-to-head across a lineup that included:

Phygital Basketball presented by Halyk FundPhygital Football UFL presented by Samruk-KazynaPhygital Dancing presented by SolidcoreResourcesPhygital Shooter CS2 presented by Yandex GoPhygital Fighting presented by KazzincBattle Royale PUBG: Battlegrounds presented by Alatau City BankMOBA PC Dota 2 presented by CenterCreditMOBA Mobile MLBB presented by Freedom.

Champions Crowned Across Every Discipline

17 Gaming claimed the Battle Royale crown, holding off GAM The Expendables to claim the title and the accompanying US$300,000 top prize. Team Vitality rounded out the podium in third, ahead of a line up that also included Twisted Minds, Geekay Esports and Team Falcons.

In Phygital Basketball, Wilders closed out a decisive win in the final to take home US$100,000, in a field that also featured world renowned clubs including Valencia Basket, and Boca Juniors. Basketball wasn’t the only discipline to produce a statement win: PlayTime claimed the MOBA PC title, marking their first major tournament victory at the Games of the Future, seeing off strong competitors including VICI Gaming, Xtreme Gaming, and Execration along the way.

The Phygital Football final proved just as compelling, with NS Team taking the title against last year’s winners, Quetzales-Armadillos. The competition also saw clubs like Peñarol, Los Troncos FC, and Orlando Pirates Fives take to the pitch, while Franco Vitali topped a stacked Phygital Dancing competition – including three-time Just Dance World Champion Umutcan Tutuncu – to be crowned champion.

In Phygital Shooter, Team KZ battled their way to the crown, defeating Liga Pro Team to become champions following five thrilling days of competition at Beeline Arena, with Eternal Fire and Klan Pedrajas also making their mark. Archangel Michael topped the standings in Phygital Fighting to claim the title, while Bigetron by Vitality completed the list of champions by winning the MOBA Mobile competition after an impressive tournament run, finishing ahead of ONIC, Aurora Gaming, Team Falcons, and Team Spirit.

Dan Merkley, CEO of Phygital International, said: “The Games of the Future Astana 2026 has shown the world what makes phygital sport so exciting. We have seen extraordinary athletes and clubs compete, passionate fans fill the venues, and audiences around the world embrace a new kind of experience that reflects the future of sport. Astana represents another important step forward for a global movement that continues to grow in ambition, reach and relevance. I want to thank the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, our Local Organizing Committee, and every athlete, club, partner, volunteer and fan who made this possible. We leave Kazakhstan inspired by what we have achieved together and excited about where phygital sport goes next.”

Beyond the competition, the Games of the Future Astana 2026 also brought together leaders and decision-makers from across the international sporting and government communities. Ministers, senior officials and delegates from more than 60 countries attended during the event, alongside representatives of the United Nations, National Olympic Committees and other international organizations, creating opportunities for dialogue around the future development of phygital sport.

The Games of the Future Astana 2026 also reached a significant global audience, with coverage delivered through 289 distribution outlets across more than 150 countries and territories and in over 20 languages, generating hundreds of millions of views worldwide.

You can continue watching full replays from across all disciplines at the Games of the Future Astana 2026 on Phygital+, the dedicated streaming platform for phygital sport.

Notes to Editors:   

About Phygital International (PI):  

Phygital International is the promoter of phygital sports globally and is focused on innovating and redefining sports. 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: https://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 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 was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE while the Games of the Future 2026 was held in Astana, Kazakhstan.   

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

krisha@marylebonecommunications.com 

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Leading affiliate and partner marketing platform FlexOffers has been recognized among more than 4,000 nominations for its advanced tracking technology, global reach, and expertise in performance-based marketing.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — FlexOffers, a leading affiliate and partner marketing network, has won the 2026 MarTech Breakthrough Award for “Partner Marketing Solution of the Year.”

The MarTech Breakthrough Awards selected FlexOffers Performance-Based Marketing from more than 4,000 nominations submitted by marketing technology companies across AI, digital health, edtech, fintech, cybersecurity and martech. Now in its ninth year, the awards program is conducted by Tech Breakthrough, an independent market intelligence organization that recognizes outstanding companies, products and people across the global marketing industry through an independent evaluation process.

The award recognizes the platform for helping brands, creators and publishers build, manage and scale performance-based marketing programs through its global partner network, advanced tracking technology and experienced advisors.

This recognition caps a year of continued growth for the affiliate marketing platform, as the company expands its partner network, enhances its performance-based marketing capabilities and prepares for greater innovation in 2027. The MarTech Breakthrough Award reinforces its position as a trusted partner for brands, publishers and creators around the world.

About FlexOffers:

FlexOffers is a leading partner marketing network connecting a curated group of publishers, creators and media with more than 12,000 global brands. The platform has driven more than $5 billion in annual sales and has been recognized with multiple industry awards in affiliate and influencer marketing. Learn more at FlexOffers.com.

About MarTech Breakthrough Awards:

The MarTech Breakthrough Awards program recognizes the most innovative products, companies and individuals across the global marketing, advertising and sales technology industries, spanning categories such as Marketing Automation, AdTech, CRM, Analytics and Customer Experience. The program is part of Tech Breakthrough, a global market intelligence organization that researches and rewards innovation across the technology industry.

Media Contact

Shannon Nigut, FlexOffers, 1 (305) 999-9940, pr@flexoffers.com, www.FlexOffers.com 

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Encryption keys, system programming, and employee information routinely survive disposal, exposing government agencies and businesses to security, financial, and reputational risk

NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Radiowell, America’s largest provider of disposal solutions for land mobile radio (LMR) equipment, today released findings from a study of how commercial and government-owned LMR equipment is retired, resold, and recycled. The study found that 35% of radios offered on auction platforms — including eBay and government surplus auction sites — still contained sensitive data that was never erased.

For the study, Radiowell acquired more than 300 two-way radios over a six-month period from government surplus auction sites and commercial marketplaces including eBay, then examined each unit for programming and other data left behind by the previous owner.

The residual data includes system programming, encryption keys, talkgroup and channel assignments, and employee names. In the wrong hands, that information can be used to interfere with emergency communications or to obtain private details about an agency’s operations and personnel.

In one example, a radio resold by an electronics waste recycler in Southern California was used to transmit a false “officer down” call, drawing an emergency response that included a police helicopter. In another, emergency communications in a rural area of Texas were disrupted by radio equipment that had been sold while still programmed, prompting a federal investigation and seizure of the equipment.

The problem is largely caused by failure to follow procedures. Many organizations have no consistent life-cycle management program for two-way radios, and the problem compounds when sub-agencies dispose of equipment on their own rather than following the procedures of the agency that originally programmed it. Even where policy is sound, execution fails.

“We receive large lots of radio equipment every day, and a good portion of it arrives documented as already wiped,” said Andrew Park, Director of Research at Radiowell. “On average, about 3% of that equipment was recorded as sanitized but still held recoverable data. Usually it comes down to a glitch during the wipe process, or a vendor performing wipes with no audit step to verify the erasure actually took.”

Many organizations also underestimate the liability that improper disposal creates. Agencies can be held financially responsible for damages, criminal misuse, or the depletion of emergency resources traced back to equipment they released. They may also face reputational harm or loss of access to radio networks critical to their operations. The same exposure applies to businesses that operate on government and municipal systems, including for-profit ambulance services and utility companies.

Radiowell recommends that any organization retiring LMR equipment adopt a documented disposal process that protects sensitive data and limits legal, financial, and reputational exposure. Radiowell provides clients with a verified data-wiping process that includes serial-level tracking and a complete audit chain, and the company assumes legal responsibility for the equipment it receives, protecting clients from downstream liability.

Government agencies and businesses evaluating disposal options for their radio and LMR equipment can request a consultation at https://www.Radiowell.com.

About Radiowell

Radiowell is America’s largest provider of disposal solutions for two-way radio and land mobile radio equipment, serving government agencies, public safety organizations, utilities, and commercial fleets nationwide. The company provides LMR-specific asset disposition, including verified data sanitization with serial-level tracking and audit documentation, equipment buyback, and secure recycling. Learn

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SOURCE Radiowell