All eyes will be on the grass on the pitch when the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at stadiums across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Michigan State University, in collaboration with FIFA and the University of Tennessee, is helping provide the natural grass playing surfaces, bringing Spartan research to soccer’s biggest stage.

Here’s everything to know about the turfgrass as the World Cup matches start.

What is turfgrass?

Turfgrass refers to real, living grass that is carefully selected, grown and managed to create high-performance playing surfaces.

For events like the FIFA World Cup 2026, turfgrass is engineered for consistency, durability and recovery, ensuring that fields in different stadiums and climates provide the same ball movements, footing and performance of play at the highest level of the game.

Image 42 MSU turfgrass FWC26.jpg — Turfgrass shown at the Gillette Stadium ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup Tournament in Boston. Photo by Derrick L. Turner

What is the difference between natural turfgrass and artificial turf?

Artificial turf is a manufactured playing surface made from synthetic fibers designed to resemble a natural grass surface.

Rather than living plants, it relies on plastic or nylon fibers to create a uniform and durable surface that can handle heavy use and different weather conditions with less maintenance.

What are the types and mixture of turfgrass used in the stadiums?

Image 48 MSU turfgrass FWC26.jpg — MSU Turfgrass specialist, Professor John "Trey" Rogers, seen at Gillette Stadium in Boston. Photo by Derrick L. Turner

John “Trey” Rogers III, professor of turfgrass research in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, talked about how the researchers developed the recipe for each of the sod farmers who grew the natural turfgrass used for the World Cup.

“Some stadiums are using a mixture of 84% Kentucky bluegrass and 16% perennial ryegrass. Other cities are using 100% bermudagrass, depending on the climate zone of the stadium,” he said.

How is natural turfgrass kept alive throughout the tournament?

There is a multilayered system under the turfgrass per FIFA’s standards. All the stadiums must have an automatic irrigation system and grow lights to keep the turfgrass green for eight weeks.

In the fields that have permanent turfgrass: The first layer is sod followed by the reinforcement layer. The next layer is the turfgrass root system. This has 12 inches of sand to meet FIFA’s specifications. The third layer is for drainage and includes 6 inches of gravel. Finally, there is a vacuum and ventilation layer that ensures the turfgrass gets air and any excess water is removed.

MSU researchers explain the layers of the turfgrass system for the FIFA World Cup 2026 fields.
Permanent fields include:
Sod - Either Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass or bermudagrass
Reinforcement - Green plastic fibers woven into the sod to make it stronger
Rootzone - Twelve inches of sand, per FIFA requirements
Drainage - A layer of gravel to move extra water
Ventilation and vacuum - Makes sure air can reach the roots and excess water is removed

For the fields that will only have temporary turfgrass: The main differences are in the rootzone layer, which is 6 to 10 inches of sand to meet FIFA’s specifications, and the drainage layer has 4 to 6 inches of gravel or a plastic drainage module called Permavoid, which is a temporary irrigation system.

MSU researchers explain the layers of the turfgrass system for the FIFA World Cup 2026 fields.
Temporary fields include:
Sod - Either Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass or bermudagrass
Reinforcement - Green plastic fibers woven into the sod to make it stronger
Rootzone - Six inches of sand, per FIFA requirements
Drainage - A layer of gravel or a plastic Permavoid system to move extra water
Ventilation and vacuum - Makes sure air can reach the roots and excess water is removed

How was turfgrass tested for gameplay?

A fLEX machine, developed by University of Tennessee, was used to test the surface as it resembles the foot lower extremity and simulates a 170-pound player. The machine has a soccer cleat that strikes the turfgrass surface, and the information is then displayed on a screen and can be analyzed later to test the wear and tear on the turfgrass.

Image 63-fLEX_01.jpg — The fLEX device is demonstrated at the Hancock Turfgrass Center. The machine is used to measure athletic field performance, traction and safety and was integral in MSU's efforts to test and provide the turf playing surfaces for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Photo by Jacob Templin-Fulton

fLEX (field or foot lower extremities) machine to test the turfgrass plots — A fLEX machine tests turfgrass plots. Photo by Nick Schrader

“We also use a ball drop machine that drops a soccer ball from 6 feet in the air, and we measure the audio of the ball hitting the ground and bouncing to learn more about how the ball is interacting with the turfgrass surface,” Rogers said.

Learn more about the science behind the turfgrass and get more about MSU’s turfgrass research, legacy and impact.

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