Researchers and leadership from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, met with FIFA officials for the second FIFA Pitch Research Field Day event to review progress toward developing the perfect natural grass pitches for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The event was hosted at Michigan State University, where more than 40 specialized pitch managers and industry leaders discussed best practices, industry innovations and pilot program results. The delegation inspected the turf research and development facility and met the teams from UT and Michigan State University working to create the best possible playing surfaces for what will be the largest sporting event in history.
Groups presented findings from pitch installation and maintenance assessments conducted by FIFA officials over the summer during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 and from a successful pilot project at Dallas Stadium that included an alternative fast-installation pitch design.
“At this stage of the pitch preparations I am delighted with what the team have been able to research and already bring to life,” said Alan David Ferguson, senior pitch management manager at FIFA.
FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, tapped John Sorochan, Distinguished Professor of Turfgrass Science and Management, to lead the research program that supports the design, installation and management of the 16 stadium fields and dozens of training fields required for the tournament in 2026.
Sorochan says FIFA’s support of cutting-edge research at UT and MSU will hopefully revolutionize the sports turf industry and leave a lasting legacy after the FIFA World Cup has concluded.
“The second FIFA Research Field Day was an excellent opportunity to showcase the latest research findings from UT and MSU. The discussions amongst researchers, field managers, sod producers and field consultants was very productive and instilled confidence that we — as a united team — are on an excellent path for providing world-class pitches for the FIFA World Cup 2026.”
The competition will take place in June and July 2026, with 48 teams playing across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The competition will stretch across four time zones and three climatic zones and conclude at the final in New York/New Jersey on July 19, 2026.
The inaugural FIFA Pitch Research Field Day — the first official get-together of pitch managers from all 16 host city stadiums and training sites — was held at UT in April. Representatives from FIFA member associations, confederations, leagues, clubs and industry suppliers were present as more than 200 turf specialists discussed the challenges and opportunities for the project.
When host cities and venues were announced in June 2022, FIFA’s Pitch Management Team implemented an innovative five-year research and development project to produce the perfect natural grass pitches for the tournament.
FIFA partnered with UT and MSU to deliver the largest ever sports turf research program specifically for soccer. Both Sorochan and MSU’s lead professor were involved in the pitch development program for the most recent North American FIFA World Cup, held in 1994.
“The challenge from FIFA to have grass inside the Pontiac Silverdome for the 1994 World Cup began the era of portable or temporary turf in multiuse stadiums,” said John Rogers, professor of turfgrass management at MSU. “FIFA’s research support for the 2026 World Cup will allow us to develop and perfect temporary turf even further and to usher in an unbelievable era.”
Obstacles across the host city stadiums, training sites and practice fields include grass maintenance inside fully roofed stadiums, conversion of artificial pitches, variations in surface standards and differing grass types. The team is also testing turf for ball-to-surface interactions, athlete traction and ease of maintenance.
A state-of-the-art shade house was constructed at the UT Institute of Agriculture’s East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center to replicate conditions inside a domed stadium, while MSU has a 23,000-square-foot asphalt pad on campus to replicate the concept of laying turf on stadium floors.
“One of the easiest decisions I have made around this tournament so far was the partnering of UT and MSU,” Ferguson said after the inaugural pitch research field day. “Both already had world-leading reputations, both already led by world-leading turf professors. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel — it was already here.”
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)