Phygital Shooter – top teams deliver stand-out performances on day two

Teams in Phygital Shooter CS2 presented by Yandex Go only have three matches in the group stage to secure a place in the semifinals – so the second day of action was always going to be a great indicator of who might go deeper in the competition.

All eight teams are vying to end up as one of the top two in either Group A or Group B, so those who dominated yesterday – Minsk House and home side Team KZ in particular – could find themselves almost guaranteed a quarterfinal place if they repeated that performance today.

By the same token, those who failed to secure a point yesterday – Team Hybrids and Mirage Team – desperately needed to get on the scoreboard to even have a hope of keeping their dreams alive.

It may not have been a day of do-or-die, but advantages could be lost and ground could be made up. All it would take is nerve, skill and a bit of luck. Here’s how things unfolded at the Beeline Arena in Astana.

Group A

Team KZ 2-1 Liga Pro Team

The match-up between the top two teams in Group A was expected to be a close affair. However, Team KZ started strong on the first map, Mirage. Liga Pro Team were stunned as Team KZ took an 8:0 lead, before they got their first points on the board. The outcome was assured – the game finished 13:2.

The battle on Dust2 was a lot more competitive. Halfway through the game, it was all level at 6:6. Unfortunately, Liga Pro Team couldn’t keep up the momentum and went down 13:9.

However, Liga Pro Team were in a league of their own in the laser tag arena – now it was the turn of Team KZ to be stunned and their opponents romped to a 6:0 victory.

“I was confident we would win the CS stage without too many problems, and that's exactly how it played out. Our goal is to stay grounded and stick to our plan. We're not going to let this result get to our heads.” – Ruslan Borzhikov, Team KZ

Mirage Team 0-3 Klan Pedrajas

Klan Pedrajas came back from yesterday’s defeat to Liga Pro Team with an incredible performance on Ancient. Mirage Team took nine rounds to get their first point on the board – the only point they secured in the match, which ended 13-1.

Taking to the Inferno map, it was more of the same. Mirage Team got more into the game, but Klan Pedrajas were again dominant and finished it out 13-3.

The laser tag stage proved far more competitive. Mirage Team struck first thanks to a heroic defuse from GROM– who managed to extinguish the phygital flame despite being the last player alive. Klan Pedrajas responded immediately, however, winning the next two rounds to retake the lead.

From there, Klan Pedrajas took control of the game. A dominant second-half performance saw them pull away to a 6:3 victory in the physical stage, sealing an overall 3-0 match win.

"We played very well. We didn't manage to close out two maps yesterday, so we wanted to win everything today. We came here for the 3-0 and we got it.” – Javier Pedrajas, Klan Pedrajas

Group B

NOVAQ 0-3 Minsk House

With two of the top teams in contention, this match was expected to be close. But Minsk House destroyed NOVAQ on Dust2 – it actually took NOVAQ 10 rounds to secure their first point. Ultimately, there was nothing they could do as Minsk House were unstoppable, with lollipop21k managing 23 kills.

On Ancient, NOVAQ started well – until Minsk House won nine rounds in a row and took a 9:3 lead. The following rounds were more competitive, but Minsk House were just too strong, winning the map 12:5.

In the physical stage, Minsk House continued to dominate, achieving a 6:0 whitewash. Today’s 3-0 win puts them at the top of
Group B.

“I’m feeling really good actually. They are the current champions of the Games of the Future and very strong in laser tag. So, it was my goal to beat them. We were pretty sure that we were going to fight for the win, and we did.” - Alexey Zlotkovskiy, Minsk House

Eternal Fire 2-1 Team Hybrids

After yesterday’s disappointing result, Team Hybrids needed to step up. Although they were able to win more rounds on Ancient, they were outplayed by Eternal Fire, who won the map 13:5.

On Dust2, Eternal Fire continued their rampage with Team Hybrids securing only a single point early on. Despite winning another round later in the match, Team Hybrids just could not contain Eternal Fire, who won 13:2.

But laser tag brought a huge surprise as Team Hybrids came alive, delivering an outstanding 6:1 win. They may have lost the match but they at least secured a vital point in their fight to stay in the competition.

What happens next

Tomorrow (6 August) sees the final day of the group stage of Phygital Shooter presented by Yandex Go, where all eight teams will be back in action once again – to fight for one of the top two spots in each group, to stay in the competition or to salvage something before they leave for home. The top two teams in both groups go straight to the semifinals.

Must-watch matches will include Klan Pedrajas against Team KZ in Group A, as well as Minsk House taking on Eternal Fire in Group B. NOVAQ, the reigning Games of the Future champions, will need a decisive win against Team Hybrids to stay in contention for this year’s title.

Where to watch

The action will start at 10:00 (local time). If you’re not joining us on the ground at the Beeline Arena in Astana, you can watch it live on Phygital+, the home of the Games of the Future 2026. That’s where subscribers can enjoy live coverage of every discipline, full event and day-pass access, video-on-demand replays, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content throughout the tournament.

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.