Call of Duty showed up to Fanatics Fest for the first time this year, and surprisingly, it felt right at home.
On paper, a major Call of Duty activation at an event centered around sports, athletes and fandom might sound like an unusual mix. In reality, it made a lot of sense. Call of Duty has been part of living rooms, college dorms, team bonding and pre-game routines for years, and that crossover between gaming and sports culture was on full display throughout Fanatics Fest 2026.
The booth gave attendees an early hands-on look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the next entry in the ongoing Modern Warfare series, and quickly became one of the bigger draws of the weekend. Fans were able to get their first taste of the game while a rotating lineup of athletes and celebrities stepped in to see who could dominate in multiplayer. That started with Yankees stars Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm, followed by Dallas Mavericks standout Cooper Flagg and Arizona Cardinals rookie Jeremiah Love, giving the booth a constant mix of sports fans, gaming fans and people simply stopping to see what all the noise was about.
Saturday pushed that crossover even further with the first-ever Call of Duty Battle of New York. Karl-Anthony Towns faced off against Knicks teammate Josh Hart, who stepped in for Jalen Brunson while he recovers from surgery. Hart kept things close, but Towns and his squad pulled out a 6-5 win. Hot 97’s The Kid Mero hosted the showdown and presented Towns with a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 championship belt, which honestly fit the energy of the entire event perfectly.
Later that afternoon, Call of Duty moved from competition into conversation with a Fanatics Fest panel moderated by Katie Nolan. Kevin Durant, actress Inde Navarrette, Activision CMO Tyler Bahl, Infinity Ward co-studio head Mark Grigsby and filmmaker Peter Berg joined the discussion, touching on how Call of Duty has grown beyond just being a successful game franchise and into something that has had a real place in entertainment, competition and pop culture for years.
That was probably the most interesting part of Call of Duty’s presence at Fanatics Fest. The booth itself was loud, competitive and constantly moving, but the panel helped put some context around why the franchise fit into the event in the first place. Whether it is athletes playing before games, teammates jumping online together after practice or people simply growing up playing Call of Duty with friends in their living rooms, there is a shared competitive culture between sports and gaming that has existed for a long time.
And Call of Duty did not slow down after Saturday. WWE Superstars Jey and Jimmy Uso closed out the weekend with their own matchup on Sunday, adding another layer to an activation that kept pulling in personalities from across baseball, basketball, football, wrestling and entertainment. Instead of feeling like Call of Duty had simply rented space at a sports convention, the booth became its own attraction within Fanatics Fest.
Personally, I thought Call of Duty brought the house down this year. At an event built primarily around sports and sports partnerships, you might not immediately think the two worlds go hand in hand. But once you think about how many people grew up playing Call of Duty with friends, teammates and family, or how often athletes use gaming to relax, compete and blow off steam, the connection becomes pretty obvious.
Fanatics Fest simply put that relationship front and center, and with Modern Warfare 4 as the centerpiece, Call of Duty’s first year at the event felt much bigger than a typical booth debut.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches October 23.
[Editor-in-Chief] Co-founder of LVLONE I work to bring you our readers a fun outlet to read tech and gaming news, reviews and experiences.
