Vietnamese phygital football team ready to compete in BRICS Games 2024

Vietnam’s seven-member team have been drawn into Group D alongside Cuba and Belarus.

A total of 12 teams are divided into four groups. The best two teams from each group will then progress to the quarterfinals, which will be held according to the Olympic system of elimination. The final matches will then be held on June 23.

The participants will first play against each other in a soccer simulator on a console before then going to the mini-football court. At the same time, the score recorded in the digital stage is kept, so to win it is important to show themselves to be competent both with a joystick in their hands and with the ball in their feet, according to the BRICS Games’ organisers.

BRICS is an acronym that stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. This marks the first time phygital football has become an official competition event of the games.

BRICS Games have been held annually since 2017 in the country that has the rotating chairmanship of BRICS and has varied widely in terms of the number of the sports included. The first competition was held in China and involved only volleyball, wushu, and taolu.

The games this year will take place in Kazan city in Russia, drawing the participation of over 4,000 athletes worldwide to vie for 27 sets of medals. According to the BRICS Games’ organisers, the events range from the familiar such as tennis, wrestling, and weightlifting; as well as niche and nascent sports.