How NASA Science and Artemis Are Shaping the 2026 FIFA World Cup 

As the FIFA World Cup approaches, NASA is bringing space science and engineering to soccer fans worldwide. From June 11 to July 19, 2026, NASA will host an exhibit at FIFA Fan Festival™ Houston where visitors can learn how research aboard the International Space Station benefits life on Earth and experience missions in low Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond through the Artemis program. 

On June 11, as the FIFA World Cup begins, NASA’s exhibit at Fan Festival Houston will open to the public. The event is free to attend and open for every match of the tournament in East Downtown, Houston. On June 20, Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche will introduce select Artemis II crew members following their historic mission around the Moon. The crew will participate in World Cup activities ahead of the Netherlands-Sweden match in Houston and will appear on the Fan Festival Houston main stage to share their experience with fans. 

The connection between NASA and the World Cup goes beyond the exhibit floor, reaching all the way to orbit. NASA spinoff technologies are innovations developed for space exploration that go on to shape commercial products and everyday life – even on the soccer field. 

For more than 25 years, research aboard the International Space Station has enabled breakthroughs in science, technology, and human health while advancing innovations that benefit people on Earth. That work includes studies that improve understanding of the aerodynamics and physics involved in soccer ball flight. 

In partnership with the ISS National Laboratory in 2019, researchers used the station’s microgravity environment to study how a soccer ball’s internal mass affects its motion, stability, and rotation. The findings have improved understanding of how embedded technologies, including match-ball sensors, can influence performance during play. The research contributed to studies used in the development and evaluation of soccer balls for major international tournaments, including FIFA World Cup competition. 

Understanding the relationship between an object’s center of mass and its geometric center is key to predicting how free-flying objects move, including spacecraft, satellites, and aircraft. 

Since 2022, Adidas has embedded electronics inside official match balls used in major tournaments. The sensors track speed, position, and contact in real time to support officiating and broadcast technology. But those sensors also add mass in specific locations inside the ball, and uneven mass distribution can affect how a ball moves through the air. 

The space-based research has helped improve understanding of how internal mass, including embedded sensors, can influence stability and rotation in real-world playing conditions. 

This work builds on earlier research into how spinning objects behave in microgravity. 

Engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California tested Adidas’ Brazuca ball, developed for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, in wind tunnel conditions at the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. Researchers studied aerodynamic behavior, including how low-spin kicks can produce “knuckling,” where the ball moves unpredictably due to unstable airflow across the seams. NASA engineers measured the speeds and flow conditions where this effect was most pronounced. 

Adjustments in panel shape, seam depth, and surface texture can influence flight consistency, helping determine whether a ball curves, dips, or holds its line during play. 

Now, NASA and Adidas are presenting that science through a STEMonstration that compares how differently balanced soccer balls spin and move in microgravity. The experiment shows how the same physics that governs motion in space also shape the game millions watch on Earth. 

Through research aboard the International Space Station and technology developed for exploration, NASA continues to demonstrate how discoveries made for space can benefit people on Earth—including athletes and fans participating in the world’s most popular sport. 

Watch the soccer ball STEMonstration video: