Franco Vitali crowned Phygital Dancing champion at GOTF 2026!
After two days of spectacular routines, razor-thin scorelines and nonstop entertainment, 25-year-old Franco Vitali topped the leaderboard at Phygital Dancing presented by Solidcore Resources and lifted the champion’s trophy.
He saw off competition from 15 of the world's best Just Dance athletes, having survived five rounds of Just Dance battles to reach the final where he took on newcomer Lina, winning 2-1 to clinch the Games of the Future (GOTF) title.
"I still can't believe I'm the champion. It feels like a dream come true after such a long journey. I've been playing Just Dance since I was nine years old, competing in tournaments since 2016, and this is my first major title. I'm incredibly grateful that all the hard work, lessons, and persistence finally led to this moment.” – Franco Vitali, Phygital Dancing 2026 champion.
Despite losing out on the championship at the last hurdle, Lina is one of the mostremarkable stories of the tournament. Although a dancer in her native France, she recently revealed that she had struggled with Just Dance for years, unable to score many points. But just over a month ago, fellow players taught her about controller skills and her Just Dance career took off. Today she reached the final of her first major tournament.
"I'm surprised to finish as the runner-up because I'm not a scorer. Before qualifying for Games of the Future, I'd never even used a controller to score, and I only started practicing about a month before coming to Astana. This was my first-ever Just Dance competition, and I know it's helped me grow. I'll never forget this experience. Of course I would have loved to win, but I'm also genuinely happy for Franco. I really hope I get the chance to come back and compete again." – Lina, Phygital Dancing 2026 runner-up.
In the battle for third place, Phygital Contenders Astana 2026 qualifier Sergio Mayta beat last year’s GOTF champion Ivan Vlasov 2-0.
The finals day began with the last matchups of the second round, followed by the decider round where three-time Just Dance World Cup champion Umutcan Tutuncu fell to Lina.
In the quarterfinals, Phygital Contenders Astana 2026 champion Andreas Guardo was beaten by Sergio Mayta. The quarters also saw a rematch of last year’s final between Tiago Silva and Ivan Vlasov. Once again Ivan was victorious, but he was then beaten by Lina in the semifinals – leaving Franco and Lina as the last dancers standing.
All results
The Games of the Future continue
The music may have stopped, but the Games of the Future 2026 is far from over. Champions are still to be crowned across Phygital Football presented by Samruk-Kazyna, Phygital Fighting presented by Kazzinc, MOBA Mobile MLBB presented by Freedom, and Phygital Shooter CS2 presented by Yandex Go as the action in Astana builds toward its conclusion.
Where to watch
Fans around the world can follow every moment live on Phygital+, the official streaming platform of the Games of the Future.
Alongside Phygital+, the Games of the Future 2026 is being broadcast by leading media partners across the globe, including Fox Sports Mexico (Mexico), StarTimes (Africa), BIGG TV (France/Worldwide), ESR TV (USA/Worldwide), Play TV (Brazil), Unbeaten (Australia), and QazSport (Kazakhstan), ensuring fans around the world can follow the action as it unfolds.
