Some of the most famous stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico are looking World Cup-ready as the tournament approaches its opening day on June 11.
Major Venue Makeovers
While Mexico's stadiums are undergoing only branding changes, several U.S. and Canadian venues have been forced into significant makeovers, headlined by the playing surface that the world's best players will grace.
In the U.S., seven stadiums have installed real grass in place of the usual artificial turf surface used by NFL teams, while Vancouver's BC Place has undergone a similar shift from the playing surface used by the city's soccer club.
For some venues like Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Seattle's Lumen Field, the grass has been in for months. However, others have spent the last several weeks adding the surface, battling challenges that come with stadiums never designed to host living, real grass.
Unlike the recent 2024 Copa América or 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the grass has to be rooted, not simply laid over the previous surface.
FIFA Surface Regulations
Every stadium must meet a long list of FIFA regulations for its surface, including:
- An automatic irrigation system
- Sufficient drainage
- Built-in vacuum and vents to keep the grass and soil aerated
- Artificial grow lights to keep the grass healthy
Some stadiums, including Vancouver's, are also using snow-making machines as high-powered sprinklers.
Field installations had to be completed before FIFA took over venue control of most stadiums on May 14, when the international organization began placing branding around venues, removing commercial advertising and art, and shuttering local businesses within their area of control.
Why This Grass Is Special
The preparations for the 2026 World Cup fields have been intense. Each local organizing committee was responsible for arranging the grass and ensuring it fit FIFA's standards.
The varying climates across the 16 cities led to differing grass mixes, each suited to its climate. Nine stadiums use a mix of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass, while six use Bermuda grass, choosing the best mix for the climate. Only Toronto's BMO Field, which operates with a usual natural grass surface, uses pure Kentucky bluegrass.
Growing Methods
Grass is usually grown on native soil, and its roots are cut when harvested for sod. However, that would not have worked for the World Cup, as roots may not have been able to be established. As such, farms opted to grow sod on plastic sheets, with sand as a base to ensure durability.
For some stadiums like BC Place, grass was grown locally. The Bos farm in nearby Abbotsford spent months curating the grass before installing it in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Joe Wilkins III's farm outside Denver grew the grass for Dallas, Atlanta and Houston, and the MetLife Stadium pitch, which will host the World Cup final, was grown in North Carolina.
Not every stadium receives direct sunlight, and it is unclear whether the retractable roofs will be open for the tournament, as inconsistent sunlight can negatively affect the grass.
Hybrid Grass Systems
To make the grass more durable to withstand matches and the timeline, plastic fibers are woven into the grass, creating a hybrid system with roots wrapped around these green fibers.
The process also allows the plastic fibers to help boost the color of the pitches, which could suffer in the summer heat.
Field Height Adjustments
Fans making their way into the stadiums may not notice it at first, but the fields will be closer to the crowds than before. In the multi-layered effort to lay the grass, the pitch sits between 18 inches and two feet higher than the artificial turf below.