Kenya exits phygital football tournament after Brazil defeat, eyes 2025 games invitation
Phygital football combines virtual and real-world competition, with teams playing a digital match followed by a five-a-side physical game, and the winner decided by the total score from both.
Kenya has exited the Phygital Football Contenders Tournament after suffering back-to-back defeats to Brazil in the quarterfinals held Monday at the ADNEC Convention Centre in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Phygital football blends virtual and real-world play, with teams first competing in a digital football match, followed by a five-a-side physical game. The overall winner is determined by the combined score from both formats.
Brazil proved dominant in both rounds, beating Kenya 5-2 in the video game stage and 5-1 on the pitch, sealing a 10-3 aggregate win to advance to Tuesday's semi-finals alongside Armenia, Bosnia, and Mexico.
"A good fight from the boys. We try again next time!" said Esports Kenya Federation in a statement on X.
Kenya had advanced to the quarterfinals after topping Group E, ahead of the United States and Uzbekistan.
Missed automatic qualification
The defeat to Brazil means Kenya misses out on automatic qualification for the 2025 Games of the Future, scheduled for December in Abu Dhabi.
However, there’s still hope.
The World Phygital Community has six additional spots reserved for invited teams, which are awarded by Phygital International based on rankings and global representation.
As the highest-ranked African team at the tournament, Kenya remains eligible for one of these invitation slots, which will be announced later this year.
Esports Federation of Kenya President Ronny Lusigi lauded the team’s effort, saying the players exceeded expectations in their first appearance at a global phygital event.
"This being our debut, I can say the boys did well. The first objective was to qualify for the contender's stage. Then the second was to get out of the group. We fell just one step shy of the big goal, booking a ticket to the Games of the Future," he said.
"With the lessons we've picked, we guarantee you that Kenya will come back stronger," he added.
The team is expected to return to the country on Wednesday.
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