Wilders stun two-time champions to win Phygital Basketball title at Games of the Future 2026
Wilders pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the Games of the Future 2026, defeating two-time champions LIGA PRO TEAM to claim the Phygital Basketball presented by Halyk Fund title in Astana, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The championship match, held at the Qazaqstan Athletics Sports Complex, saw Wilders outperform the tournament favorites in both the digital and physical stages of the competition, securing a 36-26 victory.
The teams were evenly matched during the digital basketball segment, but Wilders edged ahead 19-16 to take a narrow lead into the physical stage.
On the basketball court, Wilders relied on disciplined defense and aggressive play in the paint to outscore LIGA PRO TEAM 17-10, sealing the championship with a convincing overall performance.
The bronze medal went to Dangerous, which defeated Triada 39-36 in the third-place match. After trailing 19-18 following the digital stage, Dangerous rallied in the physical contest, winning it 21-17 to secure a podium finish.
"The most important thing about our team is our chemistry, our willingness to fight until the very end and to follow our coach's instructions while supporting one another," Wilders player Sergey "AcademiK" Kozlov said after the victory.
"We knew the digital stage against LIGA PRO TEAM would be evenly contested. The physical stage was incredibly demanding - you get exhausted after just three minutes. But our sharpshooter Sam delivered when it mattered. For him, it doesn't matter who's on defense; he just shoots and scores. We gave everything we had, and this time luck was on our side."
Wilders received $100,000 in prize money for winning the title. LIGA PRO TEAM earned $60,000 for second place, while Dangerous took home $35,000 for finishing third. Fourth-place Triada received $25,000.
The Phygital Basketball tournament featured 16 teams and offered a total prize pool of $400,000.
The Games of the Future 2026, which carries an overall prize fund of $4.65 million, is being held in Astana through August 9.
Competition continues with Phygital Football UFL, Phygital Shooter (Counter-Strike 2) and MOBA Mobile (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang) beginning on August 4. Phygital Dancing events are scheduled for August 6-7, followed by Phygital Fighting on August 8.
Earlier, Qazinform reported China’s Team Resilience advances to the Dota 2 semifinals at the Games of the Future 2026.