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The growth of phygital sport around the world continues to be driven by the efforts of the World Phygital Community (WPC) members, who are building local communities, developing ranked competitions, and creating new opportunities for athletes and gamers within their regions.
In this latest feature, WPC speaks with Edgar Kagiso Sandamela, CEO of Phygital Games South Africa, about the rapid rise of phygital sport in the country and the milestones already achieved during the movement’s early development.
Clubs and athletes from South Africa have become the first in the world to secure direct qualification for the Games of the Future 2026 across all four core disciplines: Phygital Football, Phygital Basketball, Phygital Dancing and Phygital Shooter. Following this milestone, Edgar Sandamela reflects on the challenges of introducing an entirelynew sporting format, the role local clubs and coaches have played in accelerating the movement, and the ambition to position South Africa as a driving force for phygital sport across the African continent.
When you first launched your first event, how was phygital sport received in your country, and what opportunities did you see for growing it locally?
“When we first launched, it was like aliens landing on Earth. People couldn’t understand that you can combine esports with physical sports. Then athletes started to understand the concept, which created a snowball effect in terms of interest.
With the marketing aroundour tournament and the phygital concept, we started receiving interest from many local teams. Orlando Pirates came to participate, which opened doors faster for us and gave us validation”.
What about the biggest challenges that you have faced in your country?
“Just like anything that’s new, it takes time to get the message across that this is a completely new concept. So, attracting the best athletes for our first Phygital Rivals tournament was a challenge”.
What specific initiatives or activities have you introduced to attract new athletes and engage your local community?
“We have engaged with the Minister of Sports, and we have also worked with top coaches to help them understand the project and the concept in order to get their buy-in.
During this season leading up to the Games of the Future Astana 2026, we found it easier to get teams to participate because we worked with coaches to help prepare their teams”.
Can you share an idea, format, or approach your team has developed that you’re especially proud of?
“Our main approach was to get the best athletes involved, so we encouraged football teams to sign up either a basketball player or dancer from their community for the respective Rivals. This created local trust and helped drive the phygital movement, as teams and players shared opportunities among each other”.
How important have social media and media exposure been in building awareness around phygital sport in South Africa, and what approach have you taken to attract attention to the movement?
“For Phygital Games South Africa, social media has been our most important platform. It has served as a window into all our activities, allowing coaches, athletes, and the wider community to follow the progress of the movement since its inception.
We identified the platforms where we could gain the most traction and build the strongest awareness for Phygital Games South Africa. For the South African market, TikTok has proven to be the most effective platform, so we started sharing clips and key moments from the Phygital Rivals tournaments to grow visibility and engage new audiences”.
Looking ahead, what role do you see your country playing in the global development of Games of the Future and the wider phygital movement?
“I hope we can become a driving force for the development of phygital sport in the region and help other members from African countries implement phygital tournaments in their own countries.
We have set a three-year plan for a club from South Africa to win at least one phygital competition at the Games of the Future within the next three years. But we hope it can happen this year in Kazakhstan. We already have four qualified clubs, and our immediate target is for all four teams to reach at least the semi-finals”.
Athletes and clubs from South Africa have now qualified across all four core disciplines for the Games of the Future 2026. How significant is this milestone for you and the ecosystem you are creating in your country?
“We have set a standard in Africa, and hopefully globally as well.
Being recognized as the highest ranked Gold member within the WPC ecosystem, alongside qualifying across all four disciplines, is something we are incredibly proud of this season.
This milestone surpassed our wildest imagination. Our target for 2026 was simply to host all four events, with Phygital Shooter being one we especially wanted to deliver because it is a difficult discipline to host.
For 2027 and beyond, we want to host even better events in better venues and attract the best athletes. We have set a standard, and now it is time to raise the bar again for next year”.
With athletes and clubs from South Africa now qualified across multiple disciplines, what opportunities does phygital sport create for young athletes and gamers in your country?
“This achievement has sparked interest from many coaches and athletes who want to understand how they can take part in future events. Players from our Phygital Shooter team, especially those who play Counter-Strike, are excited to compete on a world stage and showcase their talents in a way that was not previously possible”.
How does it feel to be the highest-rated Gold member and how important do you think it is for Phygital South Africa’s role in the global phygital movement?
Being ranked as the highest rated phygital member is a proud moment for us and for South Africa. It reflects the passion and hard work we’ve put into building our ecosystem.
This achievement is also bigger than just rankings – it shows that South Africa is becoming a major force in the global phygital movement. We hope this inspires more athletes, gamers, and young people to believe in the future of phygital sports and the opportunities it can create for our players, coaches and our nation.
Looking ahead, what message or advice would you share with African athletes and gamers considering entering the phygital sports space?
“I would say: just like in any sport, start. Phygital sport relies on all members of the team being successful in both the digital and physical stages. There is a role for everyone”.
