Astronauts in the International Space Station released a video today showing off their football skills in zero gravity, as they wished all the teams in the World Cup good luck.

Currently orbiting 230 miles above the earth, American astronauts Steve Swanson, Reid Weisman and German Alexander Gerst showed off a variety of football moves while moving around the International Space Station.

Scroll down to watch the video

Speaking about the upcoming tournament, which opens tonight with hosts Brazil facing Croatia, Gerst said: “We want to wish all the teams and the fans on the ground in Brazil a great world cup, have fun and have peaceful games. May the best win.”

Weisman finished by saying: “Have fun, play hard and we’ll be watching from the International Space Station.”

The video shows the three astronauts showing off their zero gravity football skills as they bounce round the space station.

Although the team have trained together for years there's a chance of some friendly rivalry between the US astronauts and their German colleagues as the tournament progresses.

In another twist, the US team has been coached by German Jürgen Klinsmann since 2011, who has attempted to dampen optimistic expectations of his team's performance ahead of the tournament.

The German and American teams are due to play against each other for the chance to advance from Group G on 26 June.

Weisman and Gerst arrived at the space station at the end of May and will live and work in space for several months, until their scheduled return in November.

Swanson, who is currently the commander of the space station, has been in space since March, returning in September.