NASA has announced that a soccer ball will be included on a future Artemis lunar mission if the United States men’s national team wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
USA WIN THE WORLD CUP, BALL GOES TO THE MOON
NASA has raised the stakes for the USMNT — win the World Cup and a soccer ball goes to the Moon.
The space agency announced the unusual incentive as part of broader efforts to connect America’s space ambitions with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the US is co-hosting alongside Canada and Mexico, per Space.com.
The ball would become a symbolic payload on a future Artemis lunar mission, celebrating what would be the United States’ first-ever men’s World Cup title.
NASA officials said the World Cup and Artemis programme share common themes of exploration, teamwork and pushing human boundaries. The Artemis programme aims to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.
The United States remain in contention at the tournament and would need to secure the trophy for the lunar football plan to become reality.
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