NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Moon base program manager Carlos García-Galán have set one major condition for the official 2026 FIFA World Cup ball to be transported to the lunar surface: the United States Men’s National Team must win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to Isaacman, the idea was conceived as a way to inspire and motivate the American squad during the ongoing tournament. If the USMNT lifts the trophy, the ball could become a symbol of humanity’s next chapter of exploration beyond Earth.
The initiative also pays tribute to a famous moment in space history. Isaacman referenced astronaut Alan Shepard, who famously hit two golf balls on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission, saying: “We will take Alan Shepard’s golf game on the Moon one step further and bring a soccer ball there.”
As of July 1, 2026, the United States finished top of its group and is set to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday. To keep the dream alive and send the ball to the Moon, the Americans must win five consecutive matches, beginning with today’s knockout clash.
It would not be the ball’s first journey into space. The official 2026 World Cup ball has already traveled to the International Space Station (ISS), where astronauts tested it in a zero-gravity environment. Should the United States go on to win the tournament, it could become the first football ever to reach the surface of the Moon.