UT leads research project to create the perfect pitches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
A FIFA delegation visited the University of Tennessee in Knoxville this spring as part of the FIFA Pitch Research Field Day event. The delegation inspected the turf research and development facilities and met the UT and Michigan State University teams working to create the perfect natural grass pitches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA, football’s global governing body, has hired John Sorochan, distinguished professor of turf science and management, to lead the research program supporting the design, installation and management of the 16 stadium pitches and dozens of training pitches needed for the tournament in 2026.
Sorochan says FIFA’s support for UT and MSU to conduct cutting-edge research will revolutionize the sports turf industry and leave a lasting legacy for the industry after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup.
“Sharing our evidence-based research with end users for the 2026 World Cup and others around the world means everything to me,” he said. “Knowing that half the world is watching something you were a part of – it’s hard to imagine the emotion I’ll feel.”
The competition will take place in June and July 2026, with 48 teams playing in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The competition will span four time zones and three climate zones and end in New York/New Jersey.
FIFA Pitch Research Field Day was the first official meeting of field managers from the host city’s 16 stadiums and training venues. Representatives from FIFA member associations, confederations, leagues, clubs and industry suppliers were also present as more than 200 turf experts discussed the challenges and opportunities of the project.
When the host cities and venues were announced in June 2022, the FIFA Pitch Management Team implemented an innovative five-year research and development project to produce the perfect natural grass pitches for the tournament.
FIFA has partnered with UT and MSU to offer the largest sports turf research program ever, specifically for football. Both Sorochan and the MSU head professor were involved in the pitch development program for the last FIFA World Cup in North America, held in 1994.
“One of the easiest decisions I’ve made in this tournament so far was the partnership between UT and MSU,” said FIFA26 Director of Infrastructure and Technical Services, Alan Ferguson. “Both already had world-leading reputations, both already led by world-leading turf teachers. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel – it was already here.”
Obstacles at host city stadiums, training venues and training pitches include maintaining turf within fully covered stadiums, converting artificial pitches, variations in surface patterns and different types of grass. The team is also testing the turf for ball-surface interactions, athlete traction and ease of maintenance.
A state-of-the-art shade house was built at the UT Institute of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research and Education Center in East Tennessee to replicate conditions inside a domed stadium, while MSU has a 23,000-square-foot asphalt area on campus to replicate the concept of putting grass on the stadium floor.
A significant benefit of the project is the invaluable opportunity it provides UT undergraduate and graduate students to engage in sports turf research at the highest level.
Chancellor Donde Plowman said the collaboration is a prime example of why land-grant institutions like UT were created. In her remarks to event attendees, she thanked FIFA for its unprecedented investment in turf research and trust in UT experts to create the most consistent, highest-performing playing fields for the world’s best athletes.
“This is an incredible time for UT and Michigan State to collaborate on such significant research,” she said. “All of us at the university are grateful to work alongside so many talented collaborators and to be part of this historic World Cup. I couldn’t be prouder to see the University of Tennessee’s name alongside the world’s most prominent athletic event.”
Keith Carver, senior vice chancellor and senior vice president of the UT Institute of Agriculture, noted that the research would ultimately benefit athletes at all levels.
“Elite athletes competing in the World Cup will play on the best surfaces, but the FIFA/UT/MSU turf research program has the opportunity to improve the performance and even safety of playing fields for a variety of sports and athletes in cooperation with our UT Center for Athletic Field Safety. From amateur football fields to Little League and high school football fields to professional golf fields, MLB and NFL fields and more, athletes at all levels will benefit from this innovative research.”
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)
