As you settle in to watch the world’s biggest sporting event — 39 days, 48 teams, 104 matches and more than 1,200 pairs of pounding, cleated feet — spare a blessing for the grass.
FIFA, the international ruling body of soccer, mandates that every World Cup match be played on natural, living turf. Moreover, the playing experience, including the bounce and movement of the ball and the player “feel,” must be consistent from venue to venue. (Also, the field must be green.)
Achieving this is no small task. The 2026 World Cup involves 16 stadiums — five of them domed, eight with permanent artificial turf that must be overlaid — across three countries and widely varying climates.
“We have this massive, massive tournament footprint,” said Alan Ferguson, FIFA’s senior pitch management manager. “Trying to bring that together in a uniform manner has been our biggest challenge.”
Under Mr. Ferguson’s guidance, FIFA has assembled a crack team of turfologists led by John Sorochan at the University of Tennessee and John Rogers at Michigan State University. They have been working since 2018 to determine how best to achieve the green dream. Here’s where they have landed.
