As the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, one of the tournament’s most important engineering achievements lies beneath the players’ feet. A team of researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Tennessee spent five years developing and testing turfgrass systems designed to provide the safest, most durable, and most consistent playing surfaces for the largest World Cup in history, tells Forbes.com.
Led by turfgrass experts John “Trey” Rogers III and John Sorochan, the FIFA-funded project focused on ensuring that athletes experience the same field conditions regardless of whether they are competing in Miami, Mexico City, Vancouver, or any of the tournament’s other host cities. Consistency is critical because variations in footing, ball movement, or surface wear can influence player performance and potentially affect match outcomes.
The researchers evaluated grass species, developed climate-specific seed blends, and established maintenance practices tailored to different environmental conditions. They also studied grass growth in enclosed stadiums that receive limited sunlight by using a specially constructed shade facility that replicated domed-stadium conditions. In addition, the team investigated methods for installing natural grass over existing artificial turf, a requirement at several World Cup venues.
Modern World Cup pitches are highly engineered systems. Depending on the local climate, fields use combinations of Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, or bermudagrass. The natural grass is reinforced with plastic fibers to improve stability and durability. The sod itself is grown on plastic-fiber carpets that allow roots to interlock, making the surface easier to transport and reinstall while maintaining structural integrity.
Researchers also employed advanced testing technologies. The Flex system, developed at the University of Tennessee, uses a mechanical foot and ankle fitted with a soccer cleat to simulate player movements and measure traction, safety, and field performance. Additional equipment evaluates ball behavior by repeatedly dropping soccer balls onto test surfaces.
The goal is simple: create a pitch so reliable that nobody notices it. When players, coaches, and fans focus entirely on the game rather than the field, the years of scientific research, engineering, and turfgrass innovation have succeeded exactly as intended.