Heading to Astana: A Detailed Travel Guide to the 2026 Games of the Future

From July 29 to August 9, Kazakhstan’s capital will host the third Games of the Future—a major multisport tournament featuring “fijital” sports that combine traditional sports and esports. Spectators will be able to watch unique competitions, such as a hybrid of soccer and FIFA, as well as top-tier tournaments in disciplines like Dota 2 and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

For those who want to see the Team Spirit and LGD Gaming matches in person, we’ve put together a short travel guide to help you assess your budget and figure out how much a trip to the 2026 Games of the Future in Astana might cost, where to stay, how to get to the arena, and what to see between matches.

A total of 8 different tournaments will take place as part of the 2026 Games of the Future, and the first thing to do is decide which ones will be of interest to you specifically. Spectators will be able to watch all competitions from the stands, except for fujital dancing. Additionally, tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are not being sold this year; these events will likely also be held behind closed doors.

For esports fans, the three most interesting tournaments will be those for Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and PUBG. The first will feature participants from The International—including L1GA TEAM, LGD Gaming, Vici Gaming, and Team Resilience—as well as PlayTime, Yellow Submarine, Yakult Brothers, the Kazakhstani roster Rune Eaters, and several other teams.

Competing for the MLBB trophy will be our region’s leaders from Team Spirit, the Turkish teams Aurora and FUT Esports, as well as several Asian powerhouses: ONIC, Vitality, Team Falcons PH, Selangor Red Giants, and Vamos. The PUBG bracket also features the world’s top teams—including Russia’s Vitality and Twisted Minds, Virtus.pro, 17 Gaming, T1, and others.

If you want to see something unusual, you can check out figtal soccer (mini-soccer + UFL), Fijital Soccer (3-on-3 basketball + NBA 2K), Fijital Shooter (lasertag + CS2), and Fijital Martial Arts (real-life combat + UFC game).

Please note that tickets for some disciplines are not available for all days:

You can purchase tickets for the Fijital Festival tournaments on the Ticketon platform. To buy tickets, simply register using your phone number, and then you can pay for them.

There are no season passes or discount programs available: for almost every discipline, a one-day adult ticket costs 5,000 tenge (approximately 1,300 rubles), and a ticket to the final costs 10,000 tenge (1,700 rubles). 

Thus, you can attend all days of the Dota 2 or MLBB playoffs for 25,000 tenge (or about 4,200 rubles). Note that, unlike the Esports World Cup or the Future Games in Kazan, the competitions here will take place at different venues, so attending two or three tournaments in a single day will be challenging:

If you’re up for it, it’s possible: you can walk from the tennis center to the Qazaqstan Complex in an hour (or take a 15–20-minute taxi ride), and the Martial Arts Palace is located between them. However, all matches start at 2:00 p.m., and the main competitions will take place in the evening, so you’ll definitely have to sacrifice something.

The Games of the Future is one of the best opportunities for esports fans from Russia to attend a global tournament in Dota 2, MLBB, or PUBG. You can enter Kazakhstan without a visa, even with a standard Russian passport. A foreign passport is required only for those arriving from third countries—for example, when flying in from Turkey.

Russian citizens are allowed to stay in Kazakhstan for up to 90 days within any 6-month period. There is just one caveat: starting in January 2026, children under 14 will no longer be allowed to enter the country with a birth certificate. If you plan to attend the tournament with your whole family, each child will need to obtain a foreign passport in advance.

Direct flights to Astana depart from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and other major Russian cities. Even now, 10 days before departure for the Dota 2 tournament, there are still nonstop options available—you can reach the venue in just 3–4 hours, and it will cost approximately 35,000–45,000 rubles (round trip).

There are also flights with layovers in Baku and Almaty: in that case, the travel time and price will increase slightly, but even so, spending less than 50,000 rubles and traveling just six hours to a major esports LAN tournament is a great opportunity these days.

All three arenas are located in the city center, where there are a huge number of options to suit every taste. We’ve reviewed all hotels with a rating above 8.0, free Wi-Fi, and a good location—and we’re offering you a few examples across different price ranges.

Prices are listed for five nights (August 1–6, covering the entire duration of the Dota 2 tournament). Prices for MLBB will be the same, and if you want to attend several Future Games 2026 events at once, you can multiply the cost by about 2.

If you prefer a house or apartment, or simply want to save money, you can find options on both Airbnb and Russian-language services like Sutochno.ru. There are slightly fewer options in central Astana, and they’re more expensive, but you’ll definitely be able to find something suitable.

Here are approximate prices for accommodations in the central district that were available for booking at the time this article was written. We applied filters for Wi-Fi and instant booking, and excluded listings with a rating below 8.0 (or 4.5).

Thus, you’ll need to spend at least 10,000 rubles on lodging—and the rest depends on your preferences and the length of your stay. A luxury room in a five-star hotel for the entire duration of the Future Games is estimated at 150,000 rubles. 

The cost of living in Astana is comparable to that in major Russian cities, and some goods and services may even be cheaper. For travelers from Russia, an added bonus is that familiar Yandex services, including taxis and food delivery, are available in Kazakhstan.

To make it easier to plan your food budget for the duration of the tournament, you can use the following prices as a guide:

A ride on a city bus costs 110 tenge (20 rubles) when paying by card and 220 tenge when paying in cash. Electric scooter rental services, including Yandex Go and Whoosh, are available throughout the city. The rental cost depends on the rate, but usually starts at around 18 rubles per minute. A taxi ride will typically cost 150–300 rubles, though prices may increase several times over in the evenings and on weekends due to high demand.

Groceries in supermarkets are usually a little cheaper than in Moscow. As a rough guide:

Thus, if you wish, you can keep your daily expenses within 1,000–1,500 rubles. For a more comfortable stay that includes taxi rides and meals at cafes, you should budget more than 2,500 rubles per day.

If you’re visiting Kazakhstan’s capital for the first time, be sure to set aside time for a stroll through the city center. Astana is notable for its modern architecture: futuristic skyscrapers, wide boulevards, and unique public spaces all coexist here. 

Most of the iconic landmarks are located along Nurzhol Boulevard and the Ishim River embankment—for example, the Presidential Center Park with its fountains and views of the water. Be sure to visit the “Baiterek” monument—the main symbol of modern Astana. Right nearby are the large “Khan Shatyr” shopping and entertainment center, Independence Square, and the Hazret Sultan Mosque (one of the largest in Central Asia).

On one of the tournament days, if the matches aren’t very exciting, we suggest taking a walk from one arena to the other two—the one-way trip will take just over an hour, and if you’d like, you can stay and check out the soccer or basketball competitions of the future.

The Dota 2 and MLBB matches will take place at the tennis center, located in Central Park on the riverbank: if a long walk isn’t your thing, you can still get some fresh air between games or stop by the observation deck and the riverfront promenade. For everyone else, we suggest taking a stroll down Turan Avenue, admiring the modern architecture and shopping centers. Along the way, you’ll pass the Khan Shatyr Shopping Center, Gashyktar Park, and the local opera house, as well as other interesting sights.

On the way back, we recommend taking a detour to get some fresh air in the botanical garden, admire the Triumphal Arch and Baiterek, and grab a bite to eat at one of the dozens of restaurants. However, this route takes a bit longer—if you have more than 2 hours to spare.

Although the lineup of participants in the Games of the Future won’t please everyone (especially in Dota 2), the tournament is still a major event—and it’s very convenient for Russian esports fans. 

If you’re willing to budget carefully, you can attend a major Dota 2 or MLBB LAN event for just 60,000–70,000 rubles. If you’d prefer to stay in a hotel and take taxis, the cost goes up—but only to a reasonable 100,000 rubles.

The upcoming games in Astana will likely be the most affordable international tournament for Russian esports fans—cheap tickets and the absence of sky-high prices in the city will be a clear advantage. However, it’s worth remembering that not all the top teams will be at the event: so is it worth it ahead of TI15 in Shanghai and M8 in Istanbul?