American and German Astronauts Play Soccer in Space, Have a Head-Shaving Bet on Today’s World Cup Match

I may not care about Earthbound soccer, but I could watch ISS astronauts Steve Swanson (left), Alexander Gerst (middle), and Reid Wiseman (right) play it in space all day long. Swanson and Wiseman are American and Gerst is German, and they’ve made a pretty interesting bet on today’s match.

If the US wins, Wiseman and Swanson get to draw an American flag on Gerst’s already bald head. If Germany wins then Swanson and Wiseman are going to be looking a lot more like Gerst — they’ll have to shave theirs.

NASA points out in their press release about the bet that they’re more involved in the World Cup than people might think. They even have an entire page dedicated to it including photos of the stadium from space and an explanation of how the astronauts watch the games.

You can follow Wiseman (@Astro_Reid) and Gerst (@Astro_Alex) on Twitter. Where they’ll inevitably post the results of the bet. And if you want to know where to watch the game, our sister site Sportsgrid has all the info.

(via NASA)

Previously in soccer I guess

• The British invented the word “soccer”
• These Game of Thrones soccer outfits are pretty rad
• Idris Elba’s directorial debut is about soccer, funk, and nerd love

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