This previously-unannounced stamp will be issued May 28, the sixth day of Boston 2026. The U.S. is hosting the World Cup in 2026, but the stamp does not mention that event or FIFA, its governing body. It is not a joint issue.
From the USPS:
Excitement is high as players and fans await the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The United States alone will host 76 World Cup matches in 11 locations, including the final match in New Jersey. Soccer has become especially popular with younger Americans, with millions playing at the youth level and more than 800,000 participating in high school, and our nation’s role as a host could again reshape the future of soccer in the United States. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.
Updates will appear below the line, with the most recent at the top.
Updated July 15th:
Technical Specifications:
Issue: North American Soccer Stamp
Item Number: 488900
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever®
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: May 28, 2026, Boston, MA 02205
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Modeler: Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Flexographic, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Gallus RCS
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 18,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: PMS 7686 C, Custom Spot Gray, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.4200 x 1.0850 in. / 36.0680 x 27.5590 mm.
Overall Size (w x h): 1.5600 x 1.2250 in. / 39.6240 x 31.1150 mm.
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.2400 x 7.1200 in. / 183.8960 x 180.8480 mm.
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 14.4800 x 21.3600 in. / 367.7920 x 542.5440 mm.
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “B” followed by six (6) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate number in all four corners
Back: © 2026 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (488900) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text
Updated July 8th:
The Scott catalogue number for this issue is 6105.
Updated April 20th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:
The Digital Color Postmark measures 3.0″ x 1.35″ 
The Pictorial Postmark measures 2.75″ x 1.25″
Updated April 15th:
On May 28, 2026, in Boston, MA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the North American Soccer stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 488900). This stamp will go on sale nationwide May 28, 2026, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.
This stamp celebrates the long history and rapid growth of soccer in the U.S. as our nation prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the biggest sporting event in the world. The stamp art is an illustration of a player striking a volley above the famous “Gooooal!” call, used by commentators and fans to express excitement about scoring a goal. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp.
Automatic distribution.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
The first-day-of-issue postmark is a postmark notating the day a stamp is first authorized for use by the Postal Service™. Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. All requests for first-day-of-issue postmarks (Traditional or Digital Color Postmark) must be sent to the following address with the choice of Traditional or Digital Color Postmark identified. All orders must be postmarked by September 28, 2026.
FDOI – North American Soccer Stamp
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
The Technical Specifications are not yet available.
Why isn’t the World Cup specifically mentioned, like it was on the 1994 USPS stamps?
FIFA (the governing body) requires a rights payment, which the USPS is not willing to do. Same problem with the Olympics.
Did USPS pay a royalty to FIFA in 1994? Or is FIFA just more money minded now?
USPS apparently did not pay royalties to FIFA related to the 1994 stamps, at least not directly. The costs of designing and producing the stamps were considered part of USPS’s promotion of the World Cup.
The use of name, image, likeness, trademarks and related IP has changed drastically in the last 30+ years. It is not surprising that FIFA requires a license and royalty payment for using its name and its trademark on World Cup. Any other organization (or individual, or estate of an individual…) would be expected to do the same. To commemorate or promote soccer in North America, USPS produced a stamp design that did not include elements that would have required a royalty payment.