The Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 powered by ADNOC has officially concluded after six high-intensity days of competition, reinforcing the role of the World Phygital Community in delivering a structured, club-driven phygital sports ecosystem on the global stage.
Hosted at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from 18 to 23 December, the event brought together more than 850 participants from over 60 countries. Across 11 disciplines, clubs progressed to Abu Dhabi through the Phygital Origins and Phygital Rivals pathways, forming a competitive field shaped by season-long performance.
Core disciplines Phygital Football powered by ADNOC and Phygital Basketball.3on3 FreeStyle brought to you by M42 anchored the programme, showcasing the depth, structure, and competitive consistency developed across the pathway. Alongside them, Phygital Dancing.Just Dance and Phygital Shooter.CS2 further demonstrated how long-term preparation from WPC members translated into performance under global spotlight.
A prime example of this progression was Mexico Quetzales, who claimed victory over Troncos FC in Phygital Football powered by ADNOC at GOTF 2025. After first qualifying through the Phygital Rivals: Mexico – Football, Mexico Quetzales went on to win Phygital Contenders: Abu Dhabi – Football, before completing their pathway by lifting the Phygital Football powered by ADNOC trophy in Abu Dhabi. Their journey illustrated how structured progression can translate directly into elite performance at the highest level. This competitive depth was reflected more broadly across the discipline, with Z10 and La Crema also progressing to the semi-final stage, underlining the overall standard delivered by clubs emerging from the WPC ecosystem.
Strong results from across GOTF 2025 further underlined the competitive impact of clubs and participants connected to the WPC ecosystem. In Phygital Basketball.3on3 FreeStyle brought to you by M42, ADRIA ALL STARS progressed to the semi-final stage, reinforcing the strength and depth of competition within the discipline. Individual performances also stood out in Phygital Dancing.Just Dance, with Tiago Silva securing second place and Sebastian Carocielli finishing third, rounding out a series of podium and deep-run finishes from across the WPC-linked field.
In Battle Royale.Featuring Fortnite, Rapid and Zyrofnw finished second overall after entering the tournament through an invitational spot from the WPC member in Mexico, ALUNIA SA DE CV.
Alongside the core disciplines established earlier in the programme, GOTF also featured Phygital Drone Racing presented by InsuranceMarket.ae, VR-game.HADO Global Invitation, and Battle of Robots, as well as globally followed esports competitions including MOBA PC.Dota 2 and MOBA Mobile.MLBB. Additional phygital formats such as Phygital Fighting.FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves further expanded the competitive landscape across the six days of action.
Speaking on the significance of the event, Dan Merkley, Chairperson and Managing Director of the World Phygital Community, said: “The Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 highlighted the strength of our members and the clubs that form the foundation of our community. Performances across Phygital Origins and Phygital Rivals showed how consistent competition pathways translate into quality on the global stage. This edition reflected the progress that has been made and the standards that continue to be built together.”
The Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 reached audiences worldwide through the official Games of the Future OTT platform, supported by 27 international broadcast and streaming partners and coverage in more than 13 languages. This digital-first distribution approach strengthened global access while keeping club competition at the centre of the viewing experience.
With Abu Dhabi 2025 complete, attention now turns to Astana, Kazakhstan, host of the Games of the Future 2026. In parallel, bidding has opened for future host cities for the 2028, 2029, and 2030 editions, as the competition continues its global expansion.
