The Fanatics Games 2026 returns with a $2 million prize pool and Tom Brady
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Fanatics Fest isn’t just returning for its third year in New York City with an extra day added to its festivities — it’s bringing back Fan Games with an even bigger prize pool.
Last year at the sports fan festival at the Javits Center in Manhattan, Fanatics Fest launched the Fanatics Games, bringing together some of the world’s best athletes and everyday fans in a head-to-head competition with a chance to win a $1 million grand prize and other grand prizes like an exotic car and a rare six-figure trading card.
“What makes the Fanatics Games special in its first year is seeing fans and world-class athletes competing together under the same rules and feeding each other,” said Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events, in a press release. “In 2026, we’re expanding that tournament and giving more fans across the country a more direct way to find their place. The numbers are higher, the format is stronger, and the games are better.”
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Fanatics Games returns to the 2026 Fanatics Fest with a $2 million prize pool. (Fans / Fox News)
The expanded format of the Fanatics Games includes new eligibility opportunities across the country for fans who wish to participate in an exclusive partnership with DICK’S Sporting Goods.
An in-person qualifying option will be a visit to select DICK’S House of Sport locations across the country, including Knoxville, Tennessee (May 9), Kennesaw, Georgia (May 30), Houston, Texas (June 13), and Boston, Massachusetts (June 28). Fans will have the opportunity to compete in sports-specific challenges that align directly with how the 2026 Fan Games format will operate at the festival from July 16-19.
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The top three players in each event will receive a trip to New York to compete at the Javits Center alongside confirmed athletes such as NFL legend Rob Gronkowski, NBA guard James Harden, and WWE stars Cody Rhodes, Jay Uso, Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan, with more athletes expected to be confirmed in the coming months.
(L-R) Dana White, Kevin Hart, Michael Rubin, Matt Dennish, Justin Gaethje, and Tom Brady speak on stage during Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 at the Javits Center on June 22, 2025, in New York City. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fanatics/Getty Images)
And fans who wish to participate and can’t qualify in person will still be able to submit a video application like last year, show off their skills and share why they feel they deserve to compete.
But perhaps the biggest draw of the Fan Games is a rematch between the reigning champion, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, and fan champion Matt Dennis, the Philadelphia teacher who wowed the Fanatics Fest crowd last year in the opening games. Dennis finished third, while UFC fighter Justin Gaethje finished second behind Brady.
The Fanatics games will include 50 daily fans and a complete team of 50 athletes, celebrities, and creators as well, and they plan to make the competition bigger, faster and more competitive than in 2025.
Michael Rubin and Matt Dennish speak on stage during Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 at the Javits Center on June 22, 2025, in New York City. (Rob Kim/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Fanatics Fest continues to grow as the world’s top sports fan festival, drawing more than 125,000 fans last year to the Big Apple. With even bigger star-studded panels, live shows, autograph sessions and meet-and-greets, Fanatics expects to break even more of that number as it continues to offer fans the opportunities of a lifetime.
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