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Experts developed specific solutions for each stadium, taking into account climate, altitude and lighting conditions, with the aim of the field offering the same playing experience in all host countries.
The 2026 World Cup will kick off on June 11 at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, kicking off one of the world's biggest sporting events. Organizing such a tournament takes years of preparation, and one of the biggest challenges has been creating pitches of the same quality in all the host stadiums.
Since 2017, when FIFA announced the United States, Mexico and Canada as the hosts of the 2026 World Cup, specialists have worked to ensure that the playing surface offers the same characteristics, regardless of changes in climate, sun exposure or altitude.
According to a report by The Washington Post, the project began with the cultivation of special types of grass on various farms in North America. After cultivation, the grass was sent to research centers for detailed testing, before being installed in stadiums.
The main challenge was whether a natural surface could maintain its quality for weeks inside stadiums, especially in indoor environments where natural lighting is limited and where the field faces the constant load of matches.
Each stadium presented different challenges. Some of them typically use artificial surfaces, while eight stadiums required the installation of natural grass over or in place of existing synthetic pitches. Five stadiums are covered, while the Mexico City stadium is located at a significant altitude above sea level.
At the same time, stadiums in Vancouver, Seattle and Boston face cooler and cloudier climates, while those in Miami and Monterrey face higher temperatures and greater sun exposure.
However, the objective remains the same: the ball should move and bounce similarly in every stadium, while players should have maximum stability on the playing surface.
John “Trey” Rogers, a professor at Michigan State University and a sports field specialist, told The Washington Post that the complexity of the project steadily increased with the addition of selected stadiums.
For his part, sports field scientist John Sorochan from Tennessee explained that the researchers analyzed each stadium separately and then grouped them according to their characteristics: open or closed stadiums, with artificial or natural surfaces, as well as the special altitude conditions in Mexico City.
The final solution was to use different types of grass according to the climate. In the warmer areas, Cynodon dactylon grass was chosen, known for its resistance to high temperatures, drought and intensive use. While in the cooler regions, a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and Perennial ryegrass was used, species that are better adapted to lower temperatures and less sunny conditions.
When the World Cup matches begin, fans will focus on the players and the score. Meanwhile, experts will be carefully observing the pitch and the movement of the ball, to assess whether years of preparation have yielded the desired result.
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