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By Amanda Greenwood
Associate News Editor
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The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced that it will honor legendary boxer and humanitarian Muhammad Ali—known as “The Greatest”—with two Forever stamps in 2026.
What To Know
The USPS has announced in a statement on December 15, 2025, that it will release two Forever stamps honoring Muhammad Ali on January 15, 2026. It plans to launch these stamps with a public first-day-of-issue event, which will take place at noon (EST) at the University of Louisville's L & N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
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The USPS said, in its announcement, that the ceremony will be free and open to the public, and attended by The Honorable Ronald A. Stroman, a member of the USPS Board of Governors who chairs the Operations Committee and serves on the Compensation and Governance Committee.
Muhammad Ali—who was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville—was a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who used his high-profile platform to speak out for civil rights, peace, and compassion.
Ali served as United Nations Messenger of Peace and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. That same year, together with his wife, Lonnie, Ali also founded the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, which serves as a cultural-educational institution dedicated to mobilizing Muhammad Ali’s legacy “to foster respect, inspire generations of changemakers, and advance social justice,” according to the center.
According to a previous announcement by the USPS, one of the Ali stamp designs is based on a 1974 Associated Press photograph of Ali and was created by art director Antonio Alcalá.
The USPS said that customers can preorder the Muhammad Ali Forever stamps online through the USPS Postal Store now, and beginning January 15, 2026, they will also be available to purchase by phone, through mail order, and at Post Office locations nationwide.
What People Are Saying
USPS Stamp Services Director Lisa Bobb-Semple stated in a previous release about the 2026 stamp collection: "Each stamp is a small work of art — an entryway into a larger story that connects people, places and moments in history. This year, we continue to honor that legacy with a diverse range of subjects and designs, from beloved series and commemorative anniversaries to bold new releases that will inspire and excite collectors and admirers alike."
The Ali Center issued a press release about the Ali stamps, saying: “The U.S. Postal Service will honor Muhammad Ali, known as “The Greatest,” with two stamps. Ali once said, “I should be a postage stamp, because that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.”
What Happens Next
The Muhammad Ali Forever stamps will be officially issued nationwide beginning January 15, 2026, at the Louisville ceremony. Attendees wishing to attend this event should register at usps.com/muhammadalistamps.
The two Ali stamps are part of a broader rollout of new USPS stamps in 2026, which include tributes to other American icons such as Phillis Wheatley, Bruce Lee, and celebrations like the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding.
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