NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman pledged on June 30, 2026, that if the United States wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup, NASA will send the official tournament soccer ball to the Moon as part of its lunar base missions [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Isaacman made the announcement during a public event unveiling NASA’s lunar base construction plans. He referenced astronaut Alan Shepard, who famously hit golf balls on the Moon in 1971, saying NASA "wants to outdo that by sending a soccer ball to the Moon," adding that this challenge is meant to motivate the U.S. team [1, 8, 2, 9, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10].
NASA plans to include the soccer ball inside a payload alongside scientific instruments on future lunar missions. Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA’s Lunar Base Program Manager, said the agency will "definitely make space on the spacecraft" to carry the soccer ball if the U.S. wins. He noted the rugby ball’s light weight makes it feasible, and that "now the pressure is all on the U.S. men's soccer team, good luck to them" [2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The United States is a co-host of the 2026 World Cup, jointly held by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The U.S. men’s national team, nicknamed the "Stars and Stripes" (星條軍團), advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on July 2, 2026, after which the soccer ball offer gained more attention [8, 9, 4, 7, 10].
NASA has previously sent an official FIFA World Cup ball to the International Space Station, demonstrating a history of symbolic sports-related space gestures [1, 8, 2, 9, 3, 4, 7, 10]. Isaacman’s announcement linked the excitement of the World Cup with NASA’s lunar exploration ambitions, inviting the U.S. soccer team to "go complete the mission" [1, 7].
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is currently in its knockout phase, with the U.S. aiming to capitalize on home advantage. NASA’s lunar missions carrying the soccer ball will launch as part of the ongoing development of the Moon base, details of which remain under planning [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
