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AT&T Stadium Debuts Engineered Grass Field for the 2026 World Cup

The upgrade signals a push to guarantee consistent play quality after recent pitch problems.

Pink grow lights designed to encourage photosynthesis flood a newly laid grass field at the AT&T Stadium in Texas where World Cup matches will be held
Stadium officials say the playing surface for the World Cup will be in pristine condition, two years after temporary pitches installed for the Copa America faced criticism
The grow lights are housed on 18 giant metal frames suspended from the ceiling of the 94,000-seater stadium
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Overview

  • AT&T Stadium has replaced its artificial turf with a temporary natural-grass surface built on an elevated deck with subsurface irrigation, ventilation and temperature control.
  • Officials installed 18 ceiling‑hung LED grow lights to feed the grass inside the enclosed venue, and the rigs will lift out of the way on match days in a first for a World Cup.
  • The sod, a Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass mix grown in Colorado, was hauled to Texas on refrigerated trucks and installed by Precision Turf in a project totaling about 45,000 labor hours and 15,000 tons of materials.
  • The venue will be branded Dallas Stadium for the tournament and is slated to host nine matches, starting with Japan vs. the Netherlands on June 14.
  • Organizers say the engineered build answers scrutiny after Copa América 2024’s hastily laid fields, while similar temporary grass conversions are underway at other U.S. sites such as Houston’s NRG Stadium using cold‑climate sod and imported grow lights.