NASA Administrator expressed his belief in the U.S. Men's National Team, which has an uphill battle to win the famous FIFA World Cup soccer tournament.NASA could send an official FIFA World Cup soccer ball to the moon – but there's a pretty big catch.The U.S. Men's National Team would have to defy the odds and win the famous soccer tournament for the first time in history.But NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, a billionaire who himself has gone to space on two privately financed missions, believes it can be done."People said landing humans on the moon was impossible," Isaacman wrote in a July 1 post on social media site X before the USMNT advanced to the final 16 for the first time in 24 years. "The U.S. has a rich history of achieving the near impossible."Isaacman's offer comes as the U.S. space agency prepares to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time in more than half a century under its Artemis program. There, astronauts could live and work long-term at a lunar outpost NASA dubbed "Moon Base" that is slated to be constructed by 2032.NASA will send a soccer ball to moon, but only if US wins World CupAstronauts, lunar landers and rovers might not be all that lands on the moon in the years ahead as the U.S. races with China to return to Earth's celestial neighbor.Isaacman, the chief of NASA, promised that if the U.S. men's soccer team wins the 2026 World Cup, a FIFA World Cup soccer ball would also head to the moon, as well as a jersey with signatures from the team.Isaacman's post on X did not specify which mission such a payload would fly on, nor when.Who will USA face in World Cup round of 16?The U.S. Men's National Team has performed well in the World Cup, hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.The U.S. advanced July 1 through the first round of the knockout stages, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. The win marked the men's team's first World Cup knockout round win since 2002.But the USMNT still has an uphill battle to make it to the July 19 championship match at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.Up next, the U.S. will play on Monday, July 6, in Seattle against Belgium, which defeated Senegal 3-2 in extra time on July 1. The U.S. team was ranked 15th at the start of the tournament, which once again heavily favors 2022 World Cup finalists France or Argentina to take it all.FIFA soccer ball already sent to space stationSee video of FIFA World Cup ball get zero-gravity debut in spaceAstronauts aboard the ISS got to take part in FIFA World Cup by "kicking" around the official soccer ball in space.Regardless of whether a soccer ball makes it to the moon, NASA has already sent one to space in 2026.An official FIFA Men's World Cup ball reached the International Space Station in September 2025, giving crew members an opportunity to conduct some interesting experiments in microgravity. A short video NASA shared June 20 on X also showed four crew members aboard the ISS playing with the ball as it slowly floated inside the orbital outpost.Contributing: Steve Gardner, Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAYEric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com