It was finals days at Phygital Basketball presented by Halyk Fund and the four teams competing in the last two matches delivered everything the competition had promised since it began six days ago.
Wilders might have been declared winners – rightfully – but there were no losers here as both the final and the battle for third place produced perhaps the two most exciting matches of the entire competition.
Going into the final, LIGA PRO TEAM were many people’s favorites to take the title and defend the crown they won at Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025. They had looked unbeatable throughout the tournament, never dropping a match and seemed on course to make it two in a row.
But Wilders had other ideas. They struck first in the digital stage, clinching it by 19-16 and giving themselves an advantage for the physical stage.
Not that they needed it. Although every possession was fiercely – some would say aggressively – contested, and every rebound fought over, Wilders actually took it 17-10. However, LIGA PRO TEAM battled so hard and intensely it always felt like they might turn the game around at any point.
When the buzzer sounded, however, there was no doubt. Wilders had ended LIGA PRO TEAM’s reign, completing a remarkable tournament run and lifting the Games of the Future Astana 2026 Phygital Basketball presented by Halyk Fund trophy with a commanding 36-26 victory. They also share the US$100,000 first prize.
“We’ve been playing together for more than five years, so our chemistry comes naturally, but bringing in a coach this season made a real difference. He gave us a fresh perspective, helped us improve the small details and played a big part in the preparation that led us to this title.” – Sergey Kozlov from Wilders.
It was finals days at Phygital Basketball presented by Halyk Fund and the four teams competing in the last two matches delivered everything the competition had promised since it began six days ago.
Wilders might have been declared winners – rightfully – but there were no losers here as both the final and the battle for third place produced perhaps the two most exciting matches of the entire competition.
Going into the final, LIGA PRO TEAM were many people’s favorites to take the title and defend the crown they won at Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025. They had looked unbeatable throughout the tournament, never dropping a match and seemed on course to make it two in a row.
But Wilders had other ideas. They struck first in the digital stage, clinching it by 19-16 and giving themselves an advantage for the physical stage.
Not that they needed it. Although every possession was fiercely – some would say aggressively – contested, and every rebound fought over, Wilders actually took it 17-10. However, LIGA PRO TEAM battled so hard and intensely it always felt like they might turn the game around at any point.
When the buzzer sounded, however, there was no doubt. Wilders had ended LIGA PRO TEAM’s reign, completing a remarkable tournament run and lifting the Games of the Future Astana 2026 Phygital Basketball presented by Halyk Fund trophy with a commanding 36-26 victory. They also share the US$100,000 first prize.
“We’ve been playing together for more than five years, so our chemistry comes naturally, but bringing in a coach this season made a real difference. He gave us a fresh perspective, helped us improve the small details and played a big part in the preparation that led us to this title.” – Sergey Kozlov from Wilders.