With 104 matches in 16 stadiums across Canada, the United States and Mexico, the 2026 Fifa World Cup will be soccer’s biggest event ever.

It’s our job as turfgrass researchers hired by Fifa, the game’s governing body, to make sure those pitches feel the same for players and that the grass thrives.

That’s not so simple. In fact, it seemed like an impossible challenge at first.

PICKING THE RIGHT TURF

The scale of this job was unprecedented: three distinct climatic zones, over 3,100 miles between the farthest stadiums, and venues ranging from stadiums open to the heat of Mexico City and Miami to enclosed NFL [National Football League] stadiums in Dallas and Atlanta, to the cooler climates of Boston and Toronto.

Four turf specialists from the US designed the playing fields for soccer’s biggest World Cup ever beginning in June — here’s how they created the same playing experience across three countries

Four turf specialists from the US designed the playing fields for soccer’s biggest World Cup ever beginning in June — here’s how they created the same playing experience across three countries

Despite the unique situations of each stadium, Fifa has a long list of rules for how the fields must be built. The grass has to be real but reinforced, so it can handle a lot of games and ceremonies. Each field needs an automatic irrigation system, good drainage, built-in vacuum and vents to keep the grass and soil aerated, and artificial grow lights to keep the grass healthy.

Each host city is responsible for figuring out how to meet these requirements.

Right now, eight of the 2026 host stadiums normally use artificial turf — how will they temporarily switch to real grass for the World Cup? Even trickier, five of the stadiums have domes,........

© Dawn (Magazines)