NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has promised to send an official soccer ball and a signed jersey to the moon if the US Men’s National Team wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And it’s a big if.
Isaacman first made the pledge during a June 30 livestreamed briefing on NASA’s Moon Base and Artemis plans. He reinforced it on X the next day, framing the long-shot bid as another ‘near impossible’ feat for Americans.
“People said landing humans on the moon was impossible. The U.S. has a rich history of achieving the near impossible,” he wrote. The post came just before the US team advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time in 24 years.
A historic run in the making
The US Men’s National Team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on July 1, making it through the first knockout round. This was the team’s first World Cup knockout win since 2002.
Up next is Belgium in Seattle on July 6. The US entered the tournament ranked 15th, with Argentina and France the heavy favorites.
Isaacman didn’t specify which mission would carry the memorabilia or when it would fly. Any World Cup items would presumably hitch a ride on one of NASA’s Artemis lunar missions as the agency prepares to return astronauts to the Moon and build a lunar outpost called Moon Base, slated for construction by 2032.
A FIFA World Cup ball is already in space; one was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) in September 2025, and NASA released a video last month showing astronauts kicking it around in microgravity.
The 2026 World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, with the final set for July 19 in New York City.
Sources: US Soccer, X (Formerly Twitter), NASA (Facebook), Florida Today, NASA Moon Base