The science behind the 2026 World Cup
When it comes to staging football tournaments, there has never been a greater challenge than the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada, and Mexico.
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For starters, it is the first time there has been three hosts, the first across three climatic regions and time zones, and the first with 48 teams.
Of the 16 host stadiums selected, there are multiple challenges, but those posed by the eight stadiums more used to hosting NFL matches, including three of the eight that have never had natural turf installed, require significant thought for FIFA Senior Pitch Management Manager, Alan Ferguson.
Now, two years into a bespoke pitch research project funded by FIFA, the largest-ever football-specific sports turf research programme in partnership with the University of Tennessee (UT) and Michigan State University (MSU), the team is close to sharing their findings.
Their aim is to achieve consistency and uniformity of the playing surfaces across the three host countries, focussing on grass cultivars and pitch profiles, with particular attention being given to the shallow profiles required to accommodate pitches on the concrete floors at some venues. The Shallow Pitch Concept aims to scientifically develop a temporary natural grass pitch profile that can be quickly installed, perform to FIFA standards, and survive a three-month lifespan in a harsh microclimate.
Explaining the complexity of the tournament with 16 host stadiums, 84 training sites and potentially up to 170 practice fields, Alan said: “Having had sight of the bid book submitted by each of the host nations, I’d already picked up that half of the stadiums in the tournament footprint are more used to hosting NFL games and other events than international football.”
“Five of the eight stadiums are also completely domed, with the other three open but with 100% synthetic pitches. When this sunk in, I realised that five of the eight had never had natural grass inside them. Of the other eight, three are in Mexico, with altitude playing a part, and the remaining five are more conventional but not without some challenges.”
“My main focus is achieving a uniform quality, so for a player, it doesn’t matter what stadium they are playing in; it’s all about consistency and playability for the player. A significant part of this was evaluating the technology and techniques available to us and then working with the UT and MSU teams to develop bespoke solutions to our challenges.”
Qatar Research Center
One of the lesser-known success stories from Qatar was the research centre in Doha, which was established by the Aspire Sports Foundation and STRI to look at the issues of growing grass in desert-based stadiums. Ewen Hodge managed the centre, then the lead for Aspire, who moved to the USA after the 2022 tournament and is now the Senior FIFA Pitch Infrastructure Manager working out of the FIFA26 Inc. Miami office.
Building on this research, using a facility in the USA was an easy decision, as ultra-modern stadiums generate some difficult microclimates for natural grass to be introduced into. Following a short period of deliberation, Alan quickly formed a joint partnership with TU and MSU.
“FIFA has several key requirements that are mandatory for the hosts of the men’s tournament, including the building of host stadium pitches,” Alan explained. “Requirements relating to topics like grass varieties, grow lighting, hybrid stitching, and the inclusion of vacuum and ventilation systems all needed to be looked at.”
“Following a short period of research into the top turf research facilities, it was a fairly straightforward decision to propose a joint partnership with the University of Tennessee, led by Distinguished Professor of Turfgrass Science Dr John Sorochan, and Michigan State University led by renowned turf professor Dr Trey Rogers, North American Turf Management Specialist at MSU.”
“At the time this decision was made, it was six years until the tournament. You think that is a long time but it goes in a flash. Both universities were already regarded as leaders in the turf research world, and both were already looking at several of the topics that were recognised as the key issues for 2026. By the time all the negotiations had been completed and contracts signed, the 2026 tournament was down to five years.”
On April 10th and 11th, 2024, FIFA hosted its first Research Field Day at Tennessee University in Knoxville, welcoming over 250 delegates from across three countries to start the knowledge transfer.
As part of the research, a bespoke building, now known by the team as the FIFA Lighthouse, accommodates state-of-the-art research, utilising light technology for grass growth. The building was constructed at UT to replicate the conditions grass will be exposed to inside a domed stadium. At MSU, there is a 23,000 sq ft concrete pad used to replicate laying turf on stadium floors as the team continues to optimise the process.
Splitting the research between sites was an obvious plan for Alan, with considerable work to do in a short time.
“The team at MSU has focussed more on the grass cultivars that can be used while the UT team has focussed on the various pitch profiles,” Alan explains. “To date, over 86 individual trials have been undertaken and reported, with many more to come.”
“The problem with research is that you often don’t get the result you are looking for, so you need to go back to the drawing board. Frustrating as this can be for everyone, it’s the right thing to do, as we have to be 100% sure of what guidance we give.”
“Much of the research being undertaken is driven by the timelines the team will have to install the pitches. The other driver is installing pitches into buildings with concrete floors that have never hosted natural grass.”
“One key area of research has been a project looking at sod grown on plastic. The technique itself is not new but the upscaling of it in Tennessee is. The majority of the stadiums we will use are multi-use. Typically, we get around 12 to 18 months to install new pitches for the World Cup. In 2026, we may only get as many as four to six weeks in some venues. This means that the only way to produce mature sod will be to grow it on the farm, and we aim to be able to do that within 16 to 20 weeks.”
“A group of sod farmers have been selected and approached to produce the sod for all the stadiums that require it, and they have really embraced the challenge and been great to work with. As well as growing the sod to a required specification, the research team have also worked to identify the best hybrid system to grow the sod on.”
A summer of tournaments including Euro 2024, Copa America and the Olympics allowed the FIFA Pitch team to observe the various hybrids being used under full match situations.
One of the most exciting observations came in Dallas at the AT&T stadium. This was the first of the domed venues selected for the 2026 World Cup to install a shallow profile and natural grass that has been trialled at the research centre. The stadium hosted three Copa America matches over 12 days, with positive feedback from players and management.
This feedback compared favourably to other venues at the tournament using the conventional overlay method, where the surface’s playability was below player expectations. This first real-world test was a major step forward in preparing for the World Cup, which will have a considerably more intense schedule.
“A FIFA World Cup has one of the most intense match schedules of any tournament played in the world, but there are also demands from the commercial sector. This can add many more hours of use to the pitches and often reduces the little recovery time they have.”
Alan concludes: “Never before has a research programme played such an essential role in a major tournament. There is no reference book we can refer to here. In Qatar, we learned a lot of lessons, good and bad, but it was not always plain sailing. In the desert, the science helped, and the pitches produced for the 2022 finals produced one of the best collective pitch playability scores ever recorded at a major tournament.”
“There, the match schedule saw 64 games played in eight stadiums, and in 2026, there will be 104 matches played in 16 stadiums. So, it’s essential that we get everything right at this stage for the 2026 tournament and beyond.”
“Plans are being looked at to carry on the work in Tennessee. It would be a great shame if we stopped now. Across the world, stadium development is moving at a pace, and the pitch teams across the six confederations need help moving at the same pace and better understanding the challenges.”
