After Copa America disaster, FIFA Aims For Perfect Pitch At 2026 WC

For the 2026 World Cup, North America plans for the perfect pitch by expanding the field by 50%, spreading the football spectacle across 16 cities in three countries with diverse climates and elevations.“If nobody mentions the field. we know we’ve done our job,” said Roger 

“FIFA Has High Expectations”

“FIFA has high expectations and demands that we can’t have any any failures,” John Sorochan, professor of turfgrass science and management at Tennessee, said in an interview, reported by Sportstar.

FIFA has teamed up with turf experts from the University of Tennessee and Michigan State University to develop the best surfaces for the tournament as it aims to avoid the pitch-related controversies that had happened earlier in summer’s Copa America.

The World Cup is set to start in less than two years, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. 

The Same Challenge Faced In The U.S. 

Sorochan with former professor at Michigan State, Trey Rogers, addressed the same challenge in the U.S. in 1994 three decades ago, when games were played indoors at the Pontiac Silverdome in suburban Detroit.

“That’s why they’re supporting so much research and preparation so that they don’t have what happened at Copa, and the embarrassment of what CONMEBOL had,” Sorochan added.

“One of the easiest decisions I have made around this tournament so far was the partnering of UT and MSU universities. Both already had world-leading reputations, and both already led by world-leading turf professors. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel — it was already here,” said Alan Ferguson, FIFA26 director of infrastructure and technical services, reported by Sportstar. 

Climate Change Could Be A Major Factor 

Climate change could be a major factor as games stretch from Mexico to Canada, and to ensure the perfect pitch, the turf experts are working on it. 

“While new varieties of grasses have not been bred to specifically address the challenges of the World Cup, turfgrass breeding efforts over the past 20 years have released new grass varieties that have improved heat, drought, disease and wear tolerance,” Sorochan said. 

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