A soccer ball that Pelé presented to President Gerald Ford in 1975 is the centerpiece of a new temporary display at the National Archives Museum in Washington.

“The Beautiful Game” runs from July 6 through August 19 in the museum’s West Rotunda Gallery. The compact exhibit connects one object to a moment when Pelé’s arrival in the North American Soccer League was helping draw new attention to the sport in the United States.

Pelé visited the White House on June 28, 1975, while the New York Cosmos were in Washington to play the Washington Diplomats. In the Rose Garden, Ford tried juggling the ball as Pelé watched, and official White House photographers preserved the exchange.

President Gerald Ford lifts a knee to juggle a soccer ball as Pelé watches in the White House Rose Garden.
President Ford tries juggling the ball while Pelé watches during the June 28, 1975 Rose Garden visit.David Hume Kennerly/Gerald R. Ford Presidential LibraryView source

The ball itself carries another layer of local history: players from the 1975 Washington Diplomats signed it. The Archives’ exhibit page does not identify every signature, so the object should be read as a team artifact rather than a complete roster key.

Pelé had joined the Cosmos earlier that year after a celebrated career with Santos and Brazil. His U.S. appearances became cultural events as well as matches, drawing political leaders and people who had rarely followed professional soccer.

The Ford visit is part of a broader presidential record in the Archives. Photographs also show Pelé autographing a ball for President Richard Nixon in 1973, meeting President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and joining President Ronald Reagan and Brazilian President José Sarney at a 1986 state dinner.

Pelé signs a soccer ball while President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon watch at the White House.
Pelé autographs a ball for President Nixon during a 1973 White House visit as First Lady Pat Nixon watches.Oliver F. Atkins/Richard Nixon Presidential LibraryView source

Those images are not interchangeable with the exhibit object. The displayed ball is tied specifically to the 1975 Cosmos trip, the Washington Diplomats signatures and Ford’s Rose Garden exchange. The other photographs document how Pelé’s public role extended across administrations.

The National Archives preserves presidential photographs and objects as federal records, allowing the public to trace not only official policy but the cultural diplomacy surrounding athletes, artists and visiting figures.

For visitors, the useful detail is the short window. The ball is scheduled to remain on view through August 19, after which the temporary display closes. The National Archives Museum lists admission as free, with timed-entry reservations recommended.