There will be a whole lot of futbol featured at Fanatics Fest this year.
The event — which will be put on by Fanatics boss Michael Rubin for the third straight summer — will go down July 16-19 at Javits Center in New York City, and some of the biggest names in soccer, including David Beckham, will be there providing festival-goers unprecedented insight into the sport.
Beckham will be a part of a panel with Kaká on the second day of the bash. Jozy Altidore and Rio Ferdinand will be there as well.
Meanwhile, captains and coaches from the 2026 World Cup finalists will also be there conducting a press conference that’ll preview their big July 19 championship clash at MetLife Stadium.
And Rubin, during an exclusive interview with The California Post this month, said he couldn’t be more thrilled about it all.
“If this were a repeat of ’22,” Rubin said, “you’d have Mbappe and Messi at Fanatics Fest on July 17. That couldn’t be more incredible.”
Rubin said the idea for the soccer-heavy lineup all stemmed from last year’s Fanatics Fest, when reps for FIFA attended and asked him to move his event from the weekend after Father’s Day to mid-July.
“They saw how amazing it was and they said, ‘Look, if you move it to the finals weekend, we’ll put the press conference at Fanatics Fest,” Rubin said. “So I was like, ‘Yes sir. Let’s go.’
“That was one of the easiest things for me to say.”
Rubin called it a big win for FIFA and his event, as both media and fans will now have access to the press conference, unlike in years past.
“You’re going to have press and tens of thousands of fans there,” he said. “It’s going to be incredible.”
In addition to all the soccer, hundreds of other stars from other entertainment avenues will be in attendance.
Tom Brady will have a role, as will the entire starting five from the NBA champion Knicks. LeBron James, Jay-Z, Kevin Hart, Aaron Judge and so many others will be around for speaking engagements and photo and autograph opportunities as well.
“The content lineup is incredible,” Rubin said. “I looked at the content a couple weeks ago, and I was like, ‘This is insane.’”
Single-day tickets for the event are on sale now and cost around $80 apiece.