Call of Duty is no stranger to weird crossovers. Although we've seen in-theme characters as playable operators such as iconic names from franchises such as Die Hard, Rambo, and The Terminator, in the past, Activision Blizzard has also opened the door to unusual ones like Snoop Dogg and Attack on Titan. After the backlash from the aforementioned misfires, you would think that the publisher wouldn't dare do the same thing again. But, as it turns out, Activision Blizzard is gearing up for its most bizarre crossover yet.

According to the latest rumors, real-world professional footballers could be coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as a potential DLC.
The main source of the rumor is the datamined files from Modern Warfare 2. Leakers claim that dataminers found files from the latest beta sessions containing the following list of names:
- Aksel
- Connor
- Gromsco
- Klaus
- Luna
- Messi
- Neymar
- Pogba
- Reyes
- Roze
Admittedly, saying that the list is composed exclusively of footballers as potential playable operators is a stretch. But, at the same time, it's difficult to think of someone else when you read the names of the likes of Messi, Neymar, and Pogba. Unless this is a red herring, these could be referring to some of the most popular footballers in the world such as Lionel Messi, Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr., and Paul Pogba.
Multiple leakers have since corroborated the legitimacy of the list. However, without official confirmation from Activision Blizzard, we have no choice but to wait.
Thankfully, this year's FIFA World Cup isn't too far off.
After Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 launch on the 28th and November 16, respectively, the FIFA World Cup will begin on November 20. Most likely, we'll find out more if a Call of Duty x FIFA crossover is coming or not.
In the meantime, Call of Duty fans might want to check out the launch trailer and the PC trailer for Modern Warfare 2.