We’ve got the story of how that grass was brought in and is being babied at each of the 11 stadiums ahead of the matches starting June 11.\u00a0<\/p>
You may have read local stories about World Cup grass at a stadium near you, but this is the big picture detailing the grass preparation at each stadium for football’s (or soccer’s) biggest competition.<\/p>
By the way, FIFA’s rules extend to stadium names, which must be non-commercial, so we’ve listed the stadiums by their better known names with their World Cup names in parenthesis.<\/p>
- Natural Grass vs. Artificial Turf: Why FIFA Insists on Grass<\/a><\/li>
- The Masterminds Behind the Turf: Michigan State and Tennessee<\/a><\/li>
- The Turf Transformation: A Closer Look at Each U.S. Stadium<\/a>
- MetLife Stadium (New York\/New Jersey)<\/a><\/li>
- AT&T Stadium (Dallas Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- Mercedes\u2011Benz Stadium (Atlanta Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- NRG Stadium (Houston Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- Gillette Stadium (Boston Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- Levi\u2019s Stadium (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Back in Your Own Backyard<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
Natural Grass vs. Artificial Turf: Why FIFA Insists on Grass<\/h2>
![\"match](\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Fifa-match-schedule-1.jpg\")
Photo Credit: Fifa.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Why are World Cup matches playd on natural grass and not artificial turf? FIFA’s Quality Program<\/a> has very high test standards for ball rolling, bouncing, and shock absorption. Every stadium needs to deliver consistent playability across the tournament.<\/p>
Why FIFA insists on grass:<\/p>
- Player preference<\/strong>: Professional soccer players and their coaches prefer the feel and consistency of natural grass.<\/li>
- Ball behavior<\/strong>: FIFA closely monitors how the ball rolls and bounces to ensure consistent ball behavior across all venues.<\/li>
- Injury and performance<\/strong>: Research has shown differences in injury rates<\/a> between playing on artificial turf and playing on real grass.<\/li> <\/ul>
The Masterminds Behind the Turf: Michigan State and Tennessee<\/h2>
Growing world-class grass for stadiums in very different climates is a serious undertaking that requires academic precision.<\/p>
Michigan State University\u2019s Turf Management Program<\/a>, under the leadership of Professor John \u201cTrey\u201d Rogers III, provided a source of both educational and research-based information to support the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>
The University of Tennessee\u2019s Center for Athletic Field Safety<\/a> is well-known for its testing of field surfaces and for developing recommendations about which type of grass or root zone mixture may be used safely for athletes to play on and how the type of grass and root zone mixture can influence athlete injury\/health and biomechanics.<\/p>
Through their collaboration with each other, MSU and the University of Tennessee have developed turf systems that will allow the soccer ball to bounce, roll, and grip similarly across all 16 venues in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.<\/p>
They split the fields into two families, covering 88 miles of natural sod:<\/p>
- Warm\u2011weather venues use Bermudagrass<\/a>.<\/li>
- Cooler and indoor venues use a mix of Kentucky bluegrass<\/a> and perennial ryegrass<\/a>.<\/li> <\/ul>
For those cooler, indoor venues, the two groups chose an 84% Kentucky bluegrass and 16% perennial ryegrass combination when growing the turf using plastic sheeting. Through FIFA-funded trials, they determined this combination provided better quality and quicker establishment of sod than did individual Kentucky bluegrass.<\/p>
Instead of planting grass in native soil and slicing off the roots, MSU and UT had farms grow it on a thin layer of sand with plastic sheeting. When the grass roots reach the plastic, they spread sideways and intertwine, forming a dense mat which can be rolled up like carpet without cutting the roots that can be easily shipped and installed.<\/p>
The Turf Transformation: A Closer Look at Each U.S. Stadium<\/h2>
- Cooler and indoor venues use a mix of Kentucky bluegrass<\/a> and perennial ryegrass<\/a>.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Ball behavior<\/strong>: FIFA closely monitors how the ball rolls and bounces to ensure consistent ball behavior across all venues.<\/li>
- AT&T Stadium (Dallas Stadium)<\/a><\/li>
- The Masterminds Behind the Turf: Michigan State and Tennessee<\/a><\/li>