World Cup fields use real grass with a small amount of artificial turf woven in on top of a special base. FIFA requires hybrid pitches with about 95% natural grass. Warm climate stadiums install sections with warm season grasses like Bermuda. Domed venues and outdoor sites in cooler climates use cool season mixes of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass.
Levi's Stadium is one of 16 stadiums hosting the expanded tournament, which includes 104 matches and kicks off June 11. Turf researched and developed in Tennessee, in partnership with Michigan State University is aimed at keeping bounce and traction consistent from Vancouver to Guadalajara despite different sunlight, elevation, climate, and time zones. Every host facility except the Mexico City stadium, which was seeded back in December, needed new sod before the five week tournament.
John Sorochan, a distinguished professor of turfgrass sciences and management at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, said synthetic fibers are stitched in to stabilize the surface under heavy match traffic.
To act like rebar to avoid a big blowout or a divot
Sorochan said that approach homogenizes surfaces so each field feels similar. Sod is grown on plastic to limit root damage, cut into sections, rolled up, and shipped from farms to stadiums. Each field requires about 30 truckloads. Installation places the turf atop several inches of sand over geotextile fabric and Permavoid drainage tiles, a process that takes several weeks.
That's taken several weeks to do those constructions and those changes
Sod for the stadiums was established beginning last April, May, and June so it could be installed at host venues between April and June 2026.
All the sod on plastic that's going in the stadiums was established ... beginning last April, May, June
