Phygital Football and Phygital Basketball: Day 2 sees high drama and eliminations
The group stages continued at Phygital Contenders Astana 2026, with another action-packed day across Phygital Football and Phygital Basketball.
Phygital Football: the race for the knockout rounds intensifies
The second day of Phygital Football saw several sides strengthen their claims to qualification for Games of the Future 2026, but the margins for error continued to shrink as teams battled for position heading into the decisive stages of the competition.
Team Cyprus continued its impressive start, overcoming Los Fieles 6-2 in a meeting between two unbeaten sides. After gaining the advantage in the digital stage, Team Cyprus once again demonstrated their attacking quality on the pitch, scoring five goals to secure top spot in Group A.
Meanwhile, Lahore Athletics FC and Noname Club kept their campaigns alive with victories over Panther Phygx and FC Royal Haki respectively – confirming their places in the knockout stage and sending their opponents home.
One of the standout contests of the day came in Group B, where Skoljke Katic edged Oeste SP 3-2 in a tense encounter between two teams that had already impressed in their opening matches. With neither side able to find a breakthrough in the digital stage, the match remained finely balanced throughout the physical contest before Marijan Tunjic's second goal proved decisive. The victory left the group leaders Skoljke Katic as the only team in the group with a perfect record.
Group C also produced one of the day's most significant results as NS Team defeated MNK 6-3 to maintain its clean record. NS Team raced into a five-goal lead before MNK mounted a spirited comeback, reducing the deficit to two goals and threatening an unlikely turnaround. However, the group leaders held their nerve and found a late goal to secure victory.
Elsewhere, JR Style responded to its opening-day defeat with an emphatic 8-1 win over Misa Esports, ensuring the battle for qualification remains wide open heading into the knockout rounds.
With the group stage now complete, attention turns to the knockout stage, where Lahore Athletics FC, Noname Club, Los Fieles, MNK, FC Olympic Phygital, Oeste SP, KMF Titograd and JR Style remain in contention for qualification to the Games of the Future 2026.
Teams advancing from the playoff stage will earn the opportunity to face the group winners on 14 June in the quarterfinals: NS Team, Team Cyprus, Skoljke Katic and ACF x Allur.
Phygital Basketball: early favorites begin to emerge
Phygital Basketball also delivered a decisive second day, with several teams making strong moves in the group standings, although the race for qualification remains far from settled.
Voždovac produced one of the strongest performances of the day, defeating Team Elites (36–27). Having already impressed in their opening matches, the two-player roster once again showcased exceptional chemistry and composure across both stages and cemented their credentials as one of the tournament favorites.
Another close battle came between ZM NITUI and BOCA, who delivered one of the most exciting matches of the competition so far. With momentum shifting repeatedly and neither side able to establish a decisive advantage, the outcome remained in doubt until the final moments of the physical stage. ZM NITUI eventually edged out a 33–30 victory, extending its unbeaten run and maintaining its place among the leading teams in Group A.
Meanwhile, Triada were determined to fight back following their narrow one-point defeat to Minsk on opening day, and they did it with two convincing wins. Never afraid to let it fly from long range, the team secured solid victories over Valencia Basket (40–32) and ARENA BULLS (38–28).
Their confidence from beyond the arc, combined with disciplined teamwork across both stages, has quickly made them one of the teams to watch heading into the knockout rounds.
After two days of competition, three teams haven’t lost a match:
Group A
- Voždovac
- ZM NITUI
Group B
- MINSK
Just behind them sits Triada (3–1), whose only defeat came by a single point against MINSK, further underlining how competitive the field has become.
The group stage draws to a close tomorrow, where the top two teams in each group will earn a direct path to the Super Final qualification matches, while the remaining teams face a more demanding knockout route. With several contenders still in the hunt and key positions yet to be decided, the final day of group-stage action promises to be the most important and unpredictable of the tournament so far.
Where to watch
Fans can watch the action live through our official streaming platform Phygital+. Phygital Basketball gets underway tomorrow at 10:00 local time (+5 UTC), with Phygital Football following on 13 June at 12:00 local time (+5 UTC). All results will also be posted on our platform throughout the event.
