The FIFA World Cup 2026 stadium turf removal process kicked off last week with its Pitch Management “ Field Day “ in Knoxville, Tennessee. The event shared updates on the groundbreaking work underway to prepare the 16 host cities in North America for the replacement of turf with grass for the upcoming World Cup 2026 Tournament. Lumen Field has begun the process of replacing the turf with natural grass.
“The research program has been the cornerstone to the success we’ve had to date and will help us deliver what I believe will be a fantastic group of pitches for the World Cup,” said FIFA Senior Pitch Management Manager Alan Ferguson. “I am not sure the fans of the world, when they come here, will appreciate all of what’s gone on, but certainly on behalf of FIFA, we are very grateful for the way everybody has received us over here and helped us to where we are today. And with 103 days to go, we’re ready to go.”
LONG TIME COMING
When the host cities were announced in 2022, the FIFA Pitch Management Team embarked on a five-year journey to produce the best product for the North American venues. The project began with a partnership between the University of Tennessee and Michigan State University. FIFA Pitch Management hopes that the use of progressive technology will benefit player welfare and help create an exciting global spectacle across the 104 matches to be held worldwide.
LOCAL IMPACT
The removal of turf and insertion of grass at Lumen Field will see the Sounders play five consecutive road games. The first of those five games was Saturday’s 2-1 loss a Real Salt Lake. The Sounders’ first home game after the five-game road swing will be on April 12th.
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