FIFA is engineering 2026 World Cup grass to keep ball roll and bounce the same across all 16 stadiums
10 June 2026
At the 2025 Club World Cup, Jude Bellingham said the ball barely bounced and Luis Enrique said it hopped like a rabbit. Those pitches were shallow sod laid days before kickoff. For 2026, FIFA grows rooted grass to keep ball roll and bounce steady.
Niklas Süle called the MetLife Stadium pitch pretty terrible. Achraf Hakimi said a dry field slowed the whole match. Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel said his pitch felt dry, and Pascal Gross said it was nothing compared to the grass they usually play on. 4
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