the science behind the ‘perfect’ lawn

After the match, players and coaching staff attributed part of the problem to the pitch at the Atlanta stadium, in the United States. According to the Argentines, the ball bounced “like on a trampoline”. The camp was described as “a disaster”.

Criticism spread throughout the tournament. The result? The quality of American pitches ended up at the center of FIFA’s concerns on the eve of the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

To prevent the problem from recurring, the entity set up a true scientific operation involving universities, specialized farms, laboratories and agronomists. The objective: to create pitches capable of withstanding 104 matches, extreme weather conditions and closed stadiums without compromising the players’ performance.

The search for the perfect lawn

Over the past eight years, researchers have carried out more than 170 different experiments to arrive at the “perfect field”. They analyzed everything from the ideal grass height to the ball’s behavior on different surfaces.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” summarized John Sorochan, professor at the University of Tennessee and responsible for supervising the pitches at the 16 World Cup stadiums, in an interview with BBC.

According to him, the biggest challenges are precisely in the covered arenas, which do not receive sunlight – essential for the grass to grow.

The artificial field is also controversial. Most of the stadiums that will host World Cup games use synthetic turf, especially NFL (American football league) arenas. At the 2024 Copa América, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta temporarily switched from artificial grass to natural grass a few days before the tournament. According to Sorochan, the insufficient distance between the two surfaces created the “trampoline” effect reported by the players.

FIFA changed the rules

For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA determined structural changes to avoid the same problem.

The pitches will be installed on complex drainage and stabilization systems, specifically adapted for indoor arenas. Instead of just rolling out sheets of grass, teams developed a combination of compacted sand, woven plastic blankets and interlocking grids to give the floor more stability.

Furthermore, the closed stadiums will have special LED lighting to compensate for the lack of direct sunlight.

After the fields are installed, dozens of metal bars with magenta lighting will be positioned on the grass to encourage plant growth.

The research into the World Cup pitches reached an extremely detailed level. According to Sorochan, a difference of just five millimeters in the height of the grass can completely change the behavior of the field.

In laboratories at the University of Tennessee, scientists built miniature fields to test ball speed, bounce and roll. Machines repeatedly launched balls while sensors recorded the surface’s behavior.

The researchers also created equipment capable of simulating the constant impact of football boots on the ground to measure elasticity, traction and resistance.

The concern goes beyond sporting performance. An inadequate turf can increase the risk of serious injury in elite athletes.

Scientists also studied how to avoid holes during matches, reduce excess humidity and ensure stability even after successive games in a row.

FIFA promoted intensive research and testing to ensure a quality standard in the three countries that will host the World Cup – Image: Djem/Shutterstock

Different grasses for different climates

Another challenge involves the climate diversity of the host cities. Lawns need to withstand the humid heat of Miami and Mexico City, but also function adequately in cooler locations like Toronto and Boston.

To achieve this, the researchers decided to use different species of grass depending on the region. In warmer areas, the fields will be made with Bermuda grass. In cold climate cities, there will be a combination of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass.

Sorochan explains that Bermuda grass requires lower cuts because it is denser and dries more quickly.

Even so, he admits that some European players may find the appearance of the fields strange. “They’re going to look at this and say, ‘That’s not the lawn I have in Germany, it looks more like a golf course,’” he said.

To increase the resistance of lawns, plastic fibers similar to those used in synthetic fields were incorporated into natural grass.

The preparation and logistics are also impressive:

• Much of the World Cup fields will be cultivated on specialized farms spread across the United States;
• On the farm, the grass is grown on sand and a thin layer of plastic to protect the roots during transport. Then, employees apply fertilizers, fungicides, silica, humic compounds and even seaweed;
• The lawns will be cut into huge strips using equipment similar to “giant pizza cutters”;
• Then, the boards will be rolled up at dusk (when the grass is dry) and placed in refrigerated trucks;
• In total, around 93,000 meters of grass will be transported to stadiums across North America.

Billionaire pressure for the 2026 World Cup pitch

According to Alan Ferguson, senior director of pitch management at FIFA, BBCthe entity invested more than US$5 million in research into lawns for the 2026 World Cup.

The 2025 Club World Cup, held in the USA, acted as a dress rehearsal to test some of the logistics, materials and methods that will be used this year. Despite complaints registered during the tournament, FIFA stated that the pitches met international standards.

Now, the expectation is that all the knowledge accumulated over decades will finally be put to the test in the biggest World Cup in history.