WorldMatch Announces Strategic Partnership with KGI

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Following a highly competitive process, Phygital International announced that Kazakhstan has been chosen as the host of the Games of the Future 2026.

This annual tournament, which is the pinnacle event of the phygital sporting world, received hosting bids from countries across the world, all bidding to follow the UAE in becoming hosts of this prestigious event.

Kazakhstan proved itself the ultimate winner with the Phygital International Expert Committee judges, after showcasing its expertise in hosting international tournaments, its state-of-the-art sports venues – along with the perfect mix of being a nation that embraces sports, culture and tradition as well as its technology and innovation capabilities.

The Games of the Future is a unique international event, which brings together the next generation of dynamic sporting heroes from all over the world. Phygital International expects the Games of the Future 2025 in UAE and now, 2026 in Kazakhstan to welcome thousands of world-class athletes and esports persons as part of multinational clubs. They will participate in the multi-sport event which comprises of a number of phygital sport challenges.

Nis Hatt, CEO of Phygital International, said: “We’re hugely excited at the prospect of Kazakhstan receiving the phygital flame from next year’s host, the UAE to host the 2026 tournament. It’s so pleasing to see the exponential growth of not only phygital sports, but also the global phygital community.

“In fact, the host nation bidding process for the Games of the Future 2027 is already hotting up but there’s still time for other countries to put their bid in before the deadline in December.”

Yerbol Myrzabossynov, Minister of Tourism and Sports for the Republic of Kazakhstan, said: “It is a privilege for our great nation of Kazakhstan to be awarded the honour of hosting the Games of the Future in 2026. Our country has supported phygital sport from its very inception, and we take pride in being the next in line to host this great event and we’re excited to receive the phygital flame from the UAE, who’s hosting in 2025 we greatly look forward to.”

The Games of the Future places no restrictions on its participants and welcomes everyone, regardless of their age, gender and nationality. The deadline for submitting applications to host the tournament in 2027 is December 31, 2024.

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In a country where mobile gaming dominates and interest in football continues to rise, India’s talented gamers now have the opportunity to compete for glory on the global stage in eFootball at the FIFAe World Cup. Following the recent partnership between FIFA and Konami, eFootball, Konami’s football simulation game, has been officially included as one of the official titles featured in the FIFAe World Cup, alongside Rocket League and Football Manager.

In this inaugural year of this new development, India is among 18 countries officially invited to participate in eFootball at the global tournament, joining nations such as Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Spain, and Portugal. The top-performing athletes from each country will face off in the finals later this year across both mobile and console platforms.

According to the India Games Market Report 2023 by Niko Partners, India is primarily a mobile-first market, with 96.8% of gamers using smartphones or tablets. The total number of gamers across all platforms is expected to reach 641.2 million by 2027.

With India at the forefront of the mobile gaming revolution and eFootball available for free download, the country’s vast base of mobile gamers have the chance to turn their passion into success on the international stage. The free-to-play aspect also facilitates easier training and participation for India’s talented mobile gamers across all backgrounds, eliminating barriers that typically limit access to high-level competitive play.

Sharing his thoughts on the opportunity this presents for India’s esports industry, Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming said, “This collaboration between FIFA and Konami to bring eFootball into the FIFAe World Cup is a significant moment for Indian esports. India’s inclusion in this global event is a source of immense national pride. The accessibility of a free-to-play game like eFootball ensures wider participation, and with FIFA fueling the esports ecosystem, we are witnessing the seamless integration of sports and esports—ushering in new opportunities for Indian gamers to shine on the world stage.”

eFootball is also set to be featured in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s upcoming WAVES Esports Championship 2025 (WESC). The nation has also been consistently competing in the title at the Global Esports Games.

“The recognition of India as a region in a global esports tournament like the FIFA eWorld Cup is monumental for Indian esports. This collaboration between KONAMI and FIFA opens up valuable avenues for both mobile and console gamers across the country to compete on the international stage. Additionally, with eFootball being included in the roster of tournaments like WAVES 2025 which is supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the title has great potential to bring further opportunities to aspiring Indian esports athletes,” commented Animesh Agarwal, aka 8Bit Thug, Co-Founder of S8UL and 8Bit Creatives.

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In another major development to delight India’s growing poker community, Natural8 India is gearing to follow up on the stellar success of its ATP Taipei Exclusive by hosting another Asian Poker Tour (APT) Exclusive tournament. Set to take place on October 20, the multi-table tournament will bring professional and amateur poker players from across the country to compete for a chance to appear at APT Phu Quoc – all for a buy-in of just INR 5,500!

‘Natural8 India @ APT Phu Quoc Exclusive’ will give the top 9 players – the most to ever be taken from India to compete in an APT tournament – a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to compete with Asia’s best and brightest. Apart from travel and accommodation (worth up to INR 85,000 per head) on the beautiful island off the coast of Vietnam, Natural8 India will offer Main Event Tickets worth INR 1,23,905 each to the top four and Mini Main Event Tickets worth INR 41,301 each to the other five winners. The champion will also take home the prestigious APT Lions Trophy, along with the accumulated prize pool!

Speaking on the announcement, Kunal Patni, Executive Director and Country Head, Natural8 India, said, “We are thrilled to bring another exclusive tournament to India’s vibrant poker community through our partnership with the Asian Poker Tour. The ‘Natural8 India @ APT Phu Quoc Exclusive’ offers a unique platform for players – whether seasoned pros or passionate amateurs – to showcase their skills and compete for a shot at international recognition. By making this experience accessible with a buy-in of just INR 5,500 and offering incredible rewards, we hope to inspire more players to take their game to the next level. It’s an exciting time for poker in India, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of that growth.”

With additional giveaways worth up to INR 15 lakh on offer, and the chance to take on the sharpest poker players in Asia in an exotic locale, ‘Natural8 India @ APT Phu Quoc Exclusive’ is the place to catch the wheeling and dealing and excitement that only high-stakes poker can bring! So whether you’re a poker enthusiast keen on testing your skills or a hobbyist who enjoys the battle of wits and nerve, what are you waiting for, log onto the Natural8 India website for more details right away!