NASA Chief Issues Unprecedented Challenge: Space Reward Awaits USA if They Win World Cup

Pulse Sports Team 08:22 - 01 July 2026

Jared Isaacman, head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has promised that if the United States wins this year's FIFA World Cup, astronauts will take the official tournament ball to the moon.

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“We’ll get a football up there, so that would be a bit of motivation for the United States in that regard. It’s a challenge. So, Team USA, get it done,” Isaacman stated, according to DPA.

The co-hosts of the ongoing World Cup advanced to the knockout stage as winners of Group D and will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Thursday's Round of 16.

Trionda recently visited the International Space Station (ISS). The crew conducted an experiment aimed at understanding how internal mass distribution affects the stability of modern footballs. Taking the ball into space allowed scientists to measure its pure motion, isolated from terrestrial drag or wind effects.