Big-Match Openers Confirmed Ahead of GOTF 2025 Kick-OffÂ
With just one week to go until the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 powered by ADNOC, the draw for each discipline’s group stages has taken place at an official draw ceremony, held live at Pixoul Gaming in Abu Dhabi. The draw set the schedule for six days of elite phygital competition at ADNEC, unveiling the first high-intensity battles that set the tone for the ultimate phygital showdown of the year.
Hosted by regional gaming creator Bisher Zumot, the ceremony revealed the first head-to-head encounters fans can look forward to from 18–23 December, offering an early glimpse of the showdowns that will define the opening stage of the event.
Among the standout matchups, the first day of Phygital Football powered by ADNOC is filled with intense phygital matches like one of South America’s most iconic football clubs, Peñarol vs Phygital Contenders: Abu Dhabi Football semi-finalist Z10, setting the tone for a high intensity matches as teams battle to take control of their bracket. The discipline will also see two star-studded teams, CM Stars and La Crema FC, face off in what is expected to be a decisive early encounter in Abu Dhabi.
The toughest, most spectacular, and brutal discipline of the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 powered by ADNOC is Phygital Fighting.FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves. It is not just a discipline, but a symbiosis of the skills of professional MMA fighters in both the digital realm and the physical arena. Phygital Fighting.FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves will unite stars such as Ramadan Noaman (Arabian Phantoms) and Marc Coates (PNW Wrecking Crew). Noaman is regarded as one of Africa's top competitors, holding kickboxing championship titles at the African and world levels. He is not only a fighter but also the founder of his own Egyptian promotion called "Nightmare FC". He debuted in the well-known international bare-knuckle fighting promotion BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) in Bulgaria. Coates, on the other hand, is a professional MMA fighter with a background at Revolution MMA Fight Club. He has competed under the banner of Bellator MMA and regularly participates in RUF Nation tournaments. Most of his wins (8 out of 10) have come via submission, showcasing his strong grappling skills. Additionally, Coates works as a gentle and kind nursing home housekeeper.
Phygital Dancing.Just Dance matches results will keep you in suspense until the very last beat of each battle. Draw results offer us the chance to witness dazzling matches with unforeseen outcomes. A prime example: Dora Salinas, the USA Phygital Dance Champion 2025 and Founder of Just Dance Venezuela and Latam, will clash in a high-energy round showdown with Marian Flores Perez, an industrial engineer and active promoter of electronic gaming movements who participates in and organizes events that foster digital art and gamer culture in the region, rising from a local champion in Barranquilla to a national titleholder.
A full group-stage overview, including all brackets and timings, is available here.
The calibre of these opening matchups leaves the route to the title wide open, with no straightforward path for any competitors. Now that the draw is complete, it’s nearly time for the world-class competition to begin. You can get your tickets at gotfabudhabi.com or follow every moment live via international broadcast partners and through the official GOTF streaming platform: tv.gofuture.games.
For the latest updates, highlights and behind-the-scenes content, follow @gamesofthefutureofficial and @gotfabudhabi on Instagram.
