The lanky soccer kind, not the burly American kind

You could see world-famous ballkickers Messi, Pogba, and Neymar battling inModern Warfare 2later this year if a Call Of Duty leaker’s claims are on the money. TheGhostOfHope hastweeteda list of what they say are upcoming operators for the military FPS sequel, launching later this month. Among the other spots are a potential return for thecontroversialRoze skin, and Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s protagonist Nick Reyes.

Call Of Duty has indulged in dubious tie-ins before, such as the appearance ofGodzilla and King Kongin Warzone and Vanguard back in May. The series has featured some random operators in the past, too – looking at you, Snoop Dogg. Chucking in a few famous footlads would be in keeping with this history of out-of-place appearances if it turns out to be true, and TheGhostOfHope’s been in right ballpark in the past with leaks such as Warzone 2’s upcoming DMZ extraction mode. Still, as always, take it with a pinch of salt.

Messi, Pogba, and Neymar’s Modern Warfare 2 stint might coincide with the arrival of the Qatar World Cup next month, which runs from November 20th to December 18th. Now, I know next to nothing about the kicking game, but even I’ve heard of these three. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all of them in adverts and wondered who they are, only to realise that my footballing blindspot explains the obliviousness. Battle royale sequel Warzone 2 launches on November 16th too, so a World Cup tie-in featuring some of the planet’s most well-known players would seem apt. I mean, the World Cup’s kind of football’s next best thing to a battle royale, right?

We PC players are getting some snazzyfeatureswith our Modern Warfare 2, including 4K, support for ultrawide monitors, and more than 500 customisation options. You will need toregister your phone numberwith Battle.net or Steam before you jump into the game, though. There might be agreatest hits map packin the offing, at least, which Ed and Hayden chugged their mind-cogs to put together a selection of possible picks for.

Call Of Duty publishers Activision Blizzard are still contending withlegal issuesandreportsalleging workplace discrimination, harassment and poor working conditions. The company’s also in the process of beingacquired by Microsoftfor $68.7 billion (£60.8 billion), a surprise deal announced back in January.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 strikes onSteamandBattle.neton October 28th. It’ll set you back £60/$70/€70.