Houston, Texas tana tarihin dogon zama na NASA. Yanzu, a lokacin FIFA World Cup 2026, birnin na haɗa manyan abubuwa biyu da ya shahara da su — kwallon ƙafa da tashi zuwa sararin samaniya — cikin wata gogewa ta musamman ga magoya baya.

Alama mafi ƙarfin wannan haɗin ta fito ne daga Jared Isaacman, Shugaban NASA, wanda ya yi alkawari da dariya cewa idan United States ta lashe FIFA World Cup 2026, NASA za ta kai ƙwallon wasa na hukuma zuwa Wata. Wannan magana ta tuna da lokacin tarihi na Alan Shepard a shekarar 1971, sa'ad da ya zama mutum na farko da ya buga ƙwallon golf a farfajiyar Wata.

Wani bikin magoya baya na daban

A FIFA Fan Festival™, jigon sararin samaniya ya wuce kawai ado. Esphera — babban dome na nuna hoto wanda aka ƙirƙira shi bisa ƙirar ƙwallon hukuma — yana shigar da baƙi cikin gogewa ta digiri 360 da Space Center Houston ta ƙirƙira, tana bin tarihin binciken ɗan Adam har zuwa manufar Artemis II.

A Houston Hall, NASA Johnson Space Center da Space Center Houston suna nuna yadda birnin ya zama gida na gaske ga tashi zuwa sararin samaniya tare da mutane, suna ba magoya baya gogewa da ta zarce filin wasa. Astronauts na NASA Reid Wiseman da Victor Glover kuma sun ziyarci Houston Stadium a lokacin gasar, suna ƙarfafa wannan alaƙa tsakanin Kofin Duniya da gada na sararin samaniya na birnin.

A ganin Keesha Bullock, Babbar Jami'in Ayyuka da Dabarun Space Center Houston, haɗin gwiwa tsakanin kwallon ƙafa da binciken sararin samaniya abu ne na yau da kullum. Bangarorin biyu, in ji ta, suna buƙatar aikin ƙungiya, juriya, da ikon sa mutane su yi imani da wani abu mafi girma da kansu — ƙimomi da Space Center Houston ke son ɗaukaka a cikin wannan gasar.

Tafiyar ƙwallon hukuma mai ban mamaki

Ƙwallon hukuma ta riga ta yi tafiya mai nisa fiye da kowane filin wasa. Kafin FIFA World Cup 2026 ta fara, an tura wata ƙwallo zuwa Tashar Sararin Samaniya ta Duniya, inda aka gwada fasaharta ta haɗe-haɗe a yanayin sararin samaniya, a matsayin wani ɓangare na haɗin gwiwa tsakanin FIFA da NASA.

A Space Center Houston, musamman nuni na Galaxy's Game yana bincika kamancen da ke tsakanin wasannin ƙwararru da binciken sararin samaniya. Baƙi na iya ɗaukar ƙalubalen mu'amala a kan wani saman Wata da aka kwaikwayi, suna gano yadda tsari, daidaito, da aikin ƙungiya suke da mahimmanci — ko a filin wasan ƙafa ko a sararin samaniya mai zurfi.

Ɗaya daga cikin abubuwan da suke taba zuciya fiye da duka shi ne wata ƙwallo mai tarihi mai ban al'ajabi. Ƙwallon tana da alaƙa da tawagar makarantar sakandare ta astronaut Ellison Onizuka. Abokan wasansa sun sanya hannu a kan ƙwallon kafin manufar Challenger mai baƙin ciki a shekarar 1986. Bayan bala'in, an dawo da ƙwallon aka mai da ita ga iyalin Onizuka, kafin wani astronaut Shane Kimbrough ya ɗauke ta zuwa Tashar Sararin Samaniya ta Duniya. A yau, ita ce ɗaya daga cikin abubuwan da suke da ƙarfi sosai a cikin Galaxy's Game.

Mene ne zai faru da ƙwallo a Wata?

Paul Spana, Daraktan Tarin Kayan tarihi da mai kula da gidan tarihi na Space Center Houston, yana kiyasta cewa ƙwallo da aka buga a Wata — inda nauyi ya yi ƙasa sosai kuma babu yanayi — na iya tafiya kilomita da yawa. Ko wata ƙwallon wasan FIFA World Cup za ta kai Wata ko a'a ya kasance tambaya mai buɗe ido, amma a Houston, wannan ra'ayi bai sake zama kamar mafarki marar yiwuwa ba.

Hoton hukuma na birni mai masaukin baki ya kama wannan ruhi sosai: wani astronaut yana wasa kwallon ƙafa a gaban taurarin, duniyoyin, da sararin Houston. Hoton wuri ne inda duniyoyi biyu — kwallon ƙafa da binciken sararin samaniya — suka haɗu a matsayin daidai, suna haɗe da aikin ƙungiya, himma, da ƙarfin zuciya na ketare iyakoki sababbi.