U.S. Men’s Soccer Team to Open 2026 World Cup on Natural Grass at SoFi Stadium After Stadium Conversions

The United States men’s national soccer team will play its first 2026 World Cup match on newly installed natural grass at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. SoFi Stadium is the home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. FIFA required all 16 World Cup stadiums in the United States, Mexico, and Canada to have playing surfaces that are mostly natural grass.

Several American stadiums were converted from synthetic turf to natural grass for the tournament. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is being converted to natural grass for the World Cup, including the final. New York Giants offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor said the conversion caught players’ attention.

“It was a kind of sucky feeling,” he said when asked about his reaction to learning that some NFL stadiums would be switching from turf to grass. Eluemunor added that grass feels better than turf.

An NFL Players Association survey of more than 1,700 players found that 92% prefer grass over synthetic turf. Eluemunor said his knees, ankles, and lower back felt “absolute crap” after a game on turf in New Orleans last season. The NFL’s yearly revenue is approaching $25 billion.

Nick Pappas, NFL field director, said there is a set of criteria and standards for playing surfaces jointly agreed upon with the NFLPA and tied to the collective bargaining agreement. Ten of the 16 World Cup host stadiums will use cool-season grass consisting of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. Six will use warm-season grass consisting of hybrid Bermuda.

The grass mixes resulted from roughly five years of FIFA-sponsored research by turfgrass experts at Michigan State University and the University of Tennessee. The grass was grown at sod farms across the United States, Mexico, and Canada on plastic to encourage lateral root spread.