RadioAnime was on the ground at Fanatics Fest 2026 in New York City, covering one of the biggest sports and entertainment gatherings of the year — and what started as a day of collecting, celebrities and sports quickly turned into an unforgettable experience when Lionel Messi arrived.
But there was one moment that completely changed the energy of the convention.
Then the Announcement Came: Lionel Messi Is Here
We were walking the show floor when the announcement came over the speakers:
Lionel Messi was at Fanatics Fest.
The reaction was immediate.
People throughout the convention floor stopped what they were doing and started moving toward the panel area.
Fans ran.
Media outlets rushed to the area.
Security suddenly became much more visible.
Lines became extremely long as everyone tried to figure out how to get inside.
It was chaos.
And this wasn't simply fans wanting to see another celebrity appearance. Messi was in New York as the 2026 FIFA World Cup final approached, and Fanatics Fest had positioned the World Cup directly at the center of this year's event. The festival even hosted the FIFA World Cup final press conference as one of its featured experiences.
How RadioAnime Got Inside
For RadioAnime, getting into the room was an experience of its own.
I approached the venue staff and asked if media was allowed inside.
The answer was that access was restricted to selected media that had been approved for the event.
I understood.
There was no reason to argue. With security trying to manage an enormous crowd, I simply thanked them and began walking away.
Then something unexpected happened.
A member of the team handling Messi approached me.
She told me she had noticed the way I was behaving in the middle of all the chaos.
She essentially told me that she liked how I was handling the situation and asked:
“Would you like to come in?”
Of course.
I said yes.
She told me to follow her, and RadioAnime was personally guided inside the room.
Suddenly, we went from standing outside with everyone else trying to get access to being inside the room where Lionel Messi and some of the biggest names in sports were about to appear.
That is something we won't forget.
The Room Was Packed With Football Royalty
The FIFA panel featured an incredible lineup.
Argentina was represented by:
Lionel Messi
Lionel Scaloni
Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez
Spain was represented by:
Rodri
Luis de la Fuente
But the stage didn't stop there.
Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, Novak Djokovic, Kevin Hart and Rio Ferdinand were also part of the experience, with Djokovic making a surprise appearance to ask Messi a question.
And then came the moment everyone inside the room was waiting for.
Messi walked onto the stage.
The crowd exploded.
“We Love You, Messi!”
The atmosphere inside the room was incredible.
Fans were chanting and shouting toward Messi, including repeated cries of:
“We love you, Messi!”
Messi appeared wearing a blue-and-white Adidas jacket, and the reaction was one of the loudest of the entire festival.
From inside the room, you could feel how much the moment meant to the fans.
This wasn't just another athlete appearing at a convention.
It was Lionel Messi, surrounded by some of the biggest names in international sports, only days before Argentina and Spain were scheduled to meet in the World Cup final.
Messi Explains How He Keeps Moving Forward
One of the questions directed at Messi focused on how he continues to move forward with the same passion and desire to play.
His answer was less about trophies and more about remembering why he started playing.
Messi explained that when he was young, whether he was playing at school, in the street or with a neighborhood team, the focus was simply on playing, having fun and competing.
There wasn't the same constant pressure.
He described himself as naturally competitive and someone who wants to win, but also emphasized that football is a team sport. The opponent is also there to compete, and sometimes you simply don't win.
Messi explained that learning to lose was an important part of his development.
Understanding that you can lose more often than you win helped him grow not only as a football player, but as a person.
It was one of the most meaningful moments of the panel because the message went beyond football:
Keep your passion. Keep playing. Enjoy what you do. Learn from losing.
Tom Brady Asks Messi About Lamine Yamal
Brady also brought up one of the strangest and most fascinating football photographs to go viral.
The photograph was taken in 2007 and showed a young Messi bathing a baby during a charity photo shoot.
That baby eventually became Spanish football superstar Lamine Yamal.
Brady asked Messi about the photograph.
Messi's reaction:
“What a crazy picture.”
It was one of those moments that perfectly captured how unpredictable football history can be.
A photograph that seemed completely ordinary at the time had suddenly become one of the most incredible connections between two generations of football.
Rodri Talks About Messi
The respect for Messi wasn't limited to Argentina.
Spain's Rodri also spoke about Messi and what he means to football and Argentina.
Rodri said Messi's significance goes beyond words and described him as the greatest of all time.
Coming from one of Spain's biggest football stars, the comment added another layer to an already remarkable Argentina-Spain meeting.
Fanatics Fest Was Much Bigger Than One Panel
Although the Messi appearance became one of the biggest stories of the weekend, Fanatics Fest 2026 was packed with major names and events across the entire convention.
The official talent lineup included stars from the NBA, NFL, MLB, WWE, tennis, soccer, UFC and entertainment. Among the major names appearing throughout the event were LeBron James, Serena Williams, David Beckham, John Cena, Ryan Reynolds, Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Joe Burrow, Aaron Judge, Roman Reigns, Kevin Durant, Tom Brady and Kevin Hart.
There was also a major entertainment presence.
JAY-Z, Travis Scott and other celebrities were part of the weekend, while Justin Bieber made a surprise appearance that became another major talking point from the convention. Fanatics' own news roundup highlighted Bieber, JAY-Z's 40/40 Club gathering, the Knicks' NBA championship trophy and several other major moments from the weekend.
Collectors Had Plenty to See
For collectors, Fanatics Fest was just as important as the celebrity appearances.
The convention brought together more than 250 trading-card dealers, rare collectibles, memorabilia and the Collectors Zone, making the event a major destination for people buying, selling, trading and simply hunting for something they couldn't find anywhere else.
That combination is what makes Fanatics Fest different.
You could be looking through cards one minute and then suddenly find yourself watching an NBA superstar, NFL legend, WWE champion, musician or international football icon walking through the convention.
Fanatics even introduced its Walk of Fame, designed to bring athletes, celebrities and legends directly through the show floor rather than keeping everyone separated backstage.
Fanatics Games Brings Another Level of Competition
Another major part of the convention was Fanatics Games, which returned for its second year.
The competition brought athletes, celebrities, creators and selected fans together across eight sports challenges, with a total prize pool of $2 million, including a $1 million cash grand prize.
Names connected to Fanatics Games included Tom Brady, Kevin Hart, John Cena, Novak Djokovic and Roman Reigns, among others.
It added another layer to an event that was already mixing professional sports, entertainment and collecting.
The World Cup Changed the Entire Atmosphere
The 2026 FIFA World Cup gave Fanatics Fest an international feel unlike a traditional American sports memorabilia convention.
With the tournament being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, soccer fans from around the world were already traveling through North America.
Fanatics Fest capitalized on that excitement by bringing the World Cup directly into the convention experience.
The result was a show floor where collectors could shop for cards and memorabilia while international soccer fans gathered to see some of the biggest players and personalities in the sport.
And then, when the announcement came that Messi was inside, everything changed.
The Viral Selfie
One of the biggest moments from the appearance came when the stars gathered together for a stage selfie.
Kevin Durant took the photograph, with Messi joined by Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic, Rio Ferdinand, Rodri, Emiliano Martínez, Travis Scott and Kevin Hart.
The image quickly spread across social media and became one of the defining photographs of Fanatics Fest 2026.
Seeing that moment from inside the room made it even more surreal.
You had legends from football, basketball, tennis and American football all standing together on the same stage.
Our Favorite Memory From Fanatics Fest
There were plenty of incredible moments throughout the weekend.
There were athletes, celebrities, collectors, cards, memorabilia, panels and surprises everywhere.
But for RadioAnime, one memory stands above the rest.
It wasn't just seeing Lionel Messi.
It was the sequence of events that led us there.
We approached the entrance.
We were told that access was restricted.
We accepted the answer and walked away.
Then a member of Messi's team noticed how we were handling ourselves and personally invited us inside.
We followed her through security and into the room.
Minutes later, Lionel Messi walked onto the stage to an unbelievable ovation.
For us, that is what covering events is all about.
You never know what is going to happen.
RadioAnime went to Fanatics Fest 2026 to cover the event — and ended up inside one of the biggest moments of the entire convention.
And we were there to experience it firsthand.
