MetLife stadium begins installing natural grass pitch for 2026 World Cup final

As the World Cup 2026 is approaching, MetLife Stadium has started installing the natural grass pitch.

The venue is set to host eight matches, including the final match scheduled for July 19.

Installation of the Tahoma 31 bermudagrass commenced Wednesday night and continued until 2 a.m., then picked up again Thursday morning. The grass had grown for ten months at the Carolina Green Turf Farm located just outside Charlotte, North Carolina.

David Graham, FIFA’s senior pitch manager, stated: “This pitch will be longer than the duration of last year’s Club tournament before we kick a ball. It’s only that the best players on the planet hopefully get the best grass on the planet, and we’re trying to achieve that.”

Installing natural grass is extensive. Below the grass, there is sand, an entire irrigation system, and a vacuum ventilation system, all atop the stadium’s existing artificial turf system. 

The following week, a massive sewing machine will be used to join the sections of grass into one cohesive field.

FIFA initially planned to use grass from New Jersey’s Tuckahoe Turf Farms, but due to a harsh winter with heavy snowfall, that grass is now unusable.

The organisation had added more grass to 11 locations across North America in case of an emergency.

MetLife Stadium will host its first World Cup game on June 13, with Brazil taking on Morocco in Group C play. Unlike the other 48 countries that will participate, the pitch has no warm-up games scheduled ahead of time.