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VANCOUVER — Some of the most iconic stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico are beginning to take on a World Cup appearance, as the tournament draws closer to its June 11 opening day.
While Mexico's venues are undergoing only cosmetic branding updates for the competition, numerous U.S. and Canadian stadiums have been required to undergo major transformations, most notably in the playing surfaces that the planet's elite players will compete on.
In the U.S., seven stadiums have been required to replace their standard artificial turf — typically used by NFL franchises — with natural grass, while Vancouver's BC Place has made a comparable switch from the surface used by the city's soccer team.
At certain venues, such as Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Seattle's Lumen Field, the grass has been in place for months. Others, however, have spent recent weeks laying the surface, navigating the unique challenges that come with stadiums never built to accommodate living turf.
Unlike the recent 2024 Copa América or 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the grass must be properly rooted rather than simply laid over the existing surface.
Every stadium is required to satisfy an extensive list of FIFA surface regulations, including an automated irrigation system, adequate drainage, integrated vacuum systems and vents to keep the grass and soil aerated, and artificial grow lights to maintain grass health. Some venues, including Vancouver's BC Place, are also deploying snow-making machines as high-powered sprinklers.
Field installations were required to be completed before FIFA assumed control of most stadiums on May 14, when the governing body began placing tournament branding throughout venues, removing commercial advertisements and artwork, and closing local businesses within their controlled zones.
Why This Grass Is Special
Each local organizing committee was tasked with sourcing the grass and ensuring it met FIFA's requirements. The diverse climates across the 16 host cities resulted in different grass blends, each tailored to its specific environment.
Nine stadiums feature a blend of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass, while six have opted for Bermuda grass, selecting the most suitable mix for their climate. Only Toronto's BMO Field, which already operates on a natural grass surface, uses pure Kentucky bluegrass.
Grass is typically cultivated in native soil, with its roots cut during sod harvesting. However, that approach would not have been viable for the World Cup, as roots may have struggled to establish properly. Instead, farms chose to grow sod on plastic sheets with a sand base to ensure the necessary durability.
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For certain stadiums, such as BC Place, the grass was cultivated locally. The Bos farm in nearby Abbotsford spent several months growing the grass before installing it over recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Joe Wilkins III's farm near Denver supplied the grass for Dallas, Atlanta and Houston, while the MetLife Stadium pitch — set to host the World Cup final — was grown in North Carolina.
Not every stadium benefits from direct sunlight, and it remains uncertain whether retractable roofs will remain open during the tournament, as inconsistent light exposure can have a detrimental impact on the grass.
To enhance the durability of the grass and help it withstand the demands of matches and the overall timeline, plastic fibers have been woven into the turf, creating a hybrid system in which roots wrap around these green fibers. This process also allows the fibers to help maintain the vibrant color of the pitches, which could otherwise fade in the summer heat.
The Pitches Have Risen
A closer look at the World Cup grass at BC Place from pitch level.
The grass is several feet higher than the turf, so the front row of fans is literally pitch level.
Turf starts about five feet from the end line and there are snowblowers to act as sprinklers. pic.twitter.com/05AIcZGcZV
Spectators entering the stadiums may not immediately notice, but the playing fields will sit closer to the stands than they previously did. As part of the multi-layered grass installation process, the pitch rests between 18 inches and two feet above the artificial turf beneath it.
"The last [MLS] game took place on April 25, and [work began] immediately after that match," BC Place general manager Chris May told Sports Illustrated. "The hard floor was put down, the [plastic] concert floor was laid, some protective material was added, and then the soil started coming in. That grass pitch sits about 18 inches above the turf, so all of that is still underneath."
Great turn out for @SISPitches #FieldTechLive today at MetLife Stadium! Nice to see SIS Grass stitching into Tahoma 31 ahead of the FIFA World Cup games. pic.twitter.com/wcYCy45Qmk
Crews across the co-hosting cities invested significant effort into making the grass as resilient as possible, and it is now under the supervision of FIFA's senior pitch manager, David Graham, who oversees the surfaces at all 16 tournament venues.
"This pitch will have been in place longer than the entire duration of last year's [Club World Cup] tournament before a single ball is kicked," Graham told reporters at MetLife Stadium. "We didn't receive the venue until two weeks before the first match in 2025 for the Club World Cup. Here, it's an entirely different build. It's a completely different situation."
The pitches now have just a matter of weeks to reach peak condition, with the first NFL stadium fixture being the USMNT vs. Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium — commonly known as SoFi Stadium — on June 12.