When it comes to hosting FIFA World Cup matches, playing surfaces are something that NFL stadiums don’t want to fumble their moment in the spotlight.
Ahead of this summer’s tournament taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a total of 11 NFL venues have worked behind the scenes to transform their gridirons into World Cup-suitable pitches. Soon to be used by the likes of global superstars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo, these fields will look nothing like the usual layouts seen by American football audiences.
To begin with, there’s the difference in size. While a full field in the NFL is 120 yards long and 53.3 yards wide, FIFA, the governing body that runs the World Cup, requires soccer pitches that are 105 meters (114.8 yards) long and 68 meters (74.4 yards) wide.
Bylaws also note that World Cup matches must be played on natural grass, presenting another alteration that NFL stadiums had to make ahead of the summer. Like many top-tier European soccer clubs, synthetic fibers have been sewn into the grass to give the fields extra durability and strength.
When you consider all the additional preparations that go into hosting the most prominent sporting event on the globe — including temporary changes to the names of the NFL venues — it’s clear an immense amount of energy and labor has gone into the buildup of the tournament that kicks off on June 11. Stadium by stadium, here’s a rundown of what they’ve done to get their fields ready for the World Cup.
Atlanta Stadium
NFL venue name: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
NFL home team: Atlanta Falcons
Capacity: 75,000
World Cup matches: Czechia vs. South Africa, Morocco vs. Haiti, Spain vs. Cape Verde, Spain vs. Saudi Arabia, DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan, round of 32, round of 16, semifinal
Atlanta took its pitch preparation a step further than most by literally ripping out its artificial turf to make room for its soccer field.
Local outlet WSB-TV reported that work began in late January to fully take out the turf and replace it with the ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass mix for the indoor venue. The pitch, already tested by the U.S. men’s national team during March friendlies with no public complaints, was then replaced by another that’s exclusive for the World Cup.
FIFA also requires all host stadiums to cover up corporate logos from non-World Cup sponsors, which means that 2,000 branding images will need to be concealed in Atlanta Stadium. That is, except for one unique aspect of the venue: the roof.
According to the Athletic, due to the complications of covering the Mercedes-Benz logo on the complex roof, an exception was made for Atlanta.
Boston Stadium
NFL venue name: Gillette Stadium
NFL home team: New England Patriots
Capacity: 65,000
World Cup matches: Haiti vs. Scotland, Scotland vs. Morocco, Iraq vs. Norway, Norway vs. France, England vs. Ghana, round of 32, quarterfinal
In order to build up the field, Boston first had to dig down.
According to CBS News, organizers tore out the artificial turf in February and then removed 10 inches of gravel that sat underneath the playing field. Below that, they unearthed still-intact systems of irrigation, heating, temperature control and water vacuuming that had been used in the early 2000s.
Followed by the placement of sand, porous ceramic and sod, the ryegrass-Kentucky bluegrass was then set after a six-week effort. One field superintendent described the entire construction operation as “really intense.”
Aside from the grass placement, limited seating removals and the concealment of branding and logos of non-World Cup sponsors, there don’t appear to be any other high-profile structural changes for the stadium infrastructure.
Dallas Stadium
NFL venue name: AT&T Stadium
NFL home team: Dallas Cowboys
Capacity: 94,000
World Cup matches: Netherlands vs. Japan, Japan vs. Sweden, Argentina vs. Austria, Jordan vs. Argentina, England vs. Croatia, round of 32 (x2), round of 16, semifinal
Sitting on top of the Cowboys’ artificial turf right now: Colorado-grown grass. According to Dallas-Fort Worth’s NBC 5 News, a mix of ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass made a roughly 800-mile trip to Texas to be used for the World Cup. To help keep the grass healthy, it will all be supported by an irrigation and ventilation system, as well as 18 pink grow lights that have been brought into the indoor venue.
Local reporting also highlighted that the playing surface was raised by four feet — using 15,000 tons of material — in order to make space for the larger soccer field. This process led to the removal of an unspecified number of seats from the lower level of the stadium.
When you’re about to host Messi and some major knockout round games, it makes sense that the Cowboys invested a reported total close to $300 million for renovations.
Houston Stadium
NFL venue name: NRG Stadium
NFL home team: Houston Texans
Capacity: 72,000
World Cup matches: Germany vs. Curacao, Netherlands vs. Sweden, Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia, Portugal vs. DR Congo, Portugal vs. Uzbekistan, round of 32, round of 16
With the same ryegrass-Kentucky bluegrass that others are receiving from Colorado, Houston will have a similar preparation for its indoor venue that will include specialty grow lights.
And over at Houston Public Media, some interesting details were published about what goes into the journey and installation of a World Cup-suitable field.
Arriving on refrigerated trucks, each massive roll of grass measures up to 50 feet long, requiring a specialty sod-unrolling machine for each unit that weighs between 1,800 to 2,000 pounds. After the installation and stitching of polypropylene fibers, Houston plans to have eight full-time staff members “who are going to work on this field nonstop, from the day it’s installed until July 5, maybe a couple days beyond.”
Along with other renovations and the removal of some corner seats that began last summer to expand the playing field, the estimated cost (as reported in 2025) was $15 million.
Kansas City Stadium
NFL venue name: Arrowhead Stadium
NFL home team: Kansas City Chiefs
Capacity: 73,000
World Cup matches: Ecuador vs. Curacao, Tunisia vs. Netherlands, Argentina vs. Algeria, Algeria vs. Austria, round of 32, quarterfinal
Even with grass already previously laid down in the venue for NFL games, Kansas City resodded the playing surface with a new Bermuda field. To support and aid the pitch, the owners of the NFL team also put in an air system beneath the ground to help maintain the standard of the grass.
Regarding the venue infrastructure, modular seats (that previously replaced “several rows” of permanent seats) have since been taken out to make space for the full soccer field. According to Fox 4’s Taylor Burr, a total of 3,500 seats were removed.
With renovations underway since 2024, FIFA has hyped up that the stadium is “certified by Guinness World Records as the loudest outdoor sports venue in the world.”
Los Angeles Stadium
NFL venue name: SoFi Stadium
NFL home team: Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers
Capacity: 70,000
World Cup matches: United States vs. Paraguay, Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey vs. United States, Iran vs. New Zealand, Belgium vs. Iran, round of 32 (x2), quarterfinal
Tasked with presenting the USMNT’s opener against Paraguay, field testing at Los Angeles Stadium stretched back to March 2025.
With the ryegrass-Kentucky bluegrass combo sitting atop the artificial turf, multiple layers of a water management system will sit two feet higher than the NFL field underneath. Part of that system — which includes a permeable cloth, grass and sand — allows air to flow through in order to control the moisture of the pitch that was brought in from Washington.
Grow lights will be used for the semi-indoor venue, and based on testing from last year, maintaining the grass field at Los Angeles Stadium could take up to 30 employees — double what’s typically needed for the NFL venue with artificial turf.
According to AFP, 100 seats from each corner of the stadium were taken out to make room for the elevated and wider soccer pitch.
Miami Stadium
NFL venue name: Hard Rock Stadium
NFL home team: Miami Dolphins
Capacity: 65,000
World Cup matches: Scotland vs. Brazil, Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, Uruguay vs. Cape Verde, Colombia vs. Portugal, round of 32, quarterfinal, third place
Who needs to source grass when you already grow your own?
The Dolphins are the lone U.S. professional sports franchise with their own sod farm, meaning they’ll have the most straightforward process since they can continue to use their own Bermuda variety. According to Reuters, there will be a three-day staging to plant the field, which will then be followed by the stitching of artificial fibers into the pitch.
With a wider-than-normal field built-in, the venue also won’t need any noticeable construction to the lower bowl in order to accommodate a World Cup playing surface. Nonetheless, the true challenge for the stadium will be having to quickly transition from hosting Formula 1‘s Miami Grand Prix in May, to seven soccer games in June and July.
New York New Jersey Stadium
NFL venue name: MetLife Stadium
NFL home team: New York Giants, New York Jets
Capacity: 82,500
World Cup matches: Brazil vs. Morocco, Ecuador vs. Germany, France vs. Senegal, Norway vs. Senegal, Panama vs. England, round of 32, round of 16, final
Cooler-temperature host cities and indoor venues will use that same ryegrass-Kentucky bluegrass combo, but as for others that could deal with a warmer climate this summer? First installed at New York New Jersey Stadium in early May, that’s where the more heat-loving Bermuda grass steps in.
Set to host a handful of powerhouse countries and the much-anticipated July 19 final, the field will be composed of several layers (sand, permeable cloth, ventilation) that will be topped by 600 rolls to make up the pitch.
The Associated Press reported that in order to make space for the full soccer surface, a total of 1,740 seats from the corners of the stadium had to be removed.
Philadelphia Stadium
NFL venue name: Lincoln Financial Field
NFL home team: Philadelphia Eagles
Capacity: 69,000
World Cup matches: Brazil vs. Haiti, Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador, Curacao vs. Ivory Coast, France vs. Iraq, Croatia vs. Ghana, round of 16
If you’re starting to sense a theme of many venues needing to remove seats in the corners of stadiums, Philadelphia is no different.
Although reporting from the Philadelphia Inquirer has noted that costs will be minimal for World Cup renovations, the venue still needed to “take out rows of seats” to make room for the soccer field and the perimeter surrounding it. FIFA noted on its website that capacity is at 69,000, but reporting from the local media outlet highlighted that it could be between 65,000 and 67,000.
As for the ryegrass-Kentucky bluegrass, Philly’s ABC affiliate noted the exact length of the blades themselves, which is set to be mowed to exactly 22 millimeters. A highly specific task, but perhaps not too daunting of a challenge for a stadium that already had natural grass to begin with.
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
NFL venue name: Levi’s Stadium
NFL home team: San Francisco 49ers
Capacity: 71,000
World Cup matches: Qatar vs. Switzerland, Turkey vs. Paraguay, Paraguay vs. Australia, Austria vs. Jordan, Jordan vs. Algeria, round of 32
With the highly unique backdrop of hosting World Cup games and a Super Bowl in 2026, it’s not a shock to see that Levi’s Stadium had a $200 million renovation in the past two years.
According to the Athletic, part of that funding went into field drainage, irrigation and ventilation for the already-established Bermuda grass. Looking into the stands, modular seats took over once-permanent corner spots in order to be removed and make space for a full World Cup field.
There’s much flashier and costly off-the-field upgrades that include massive videoboards, suites and tech-friendly additions for fans, but as for the soccer pitch itself, there doesn’t appear to be any major modifications that will be needed for the venue that already plays on grass.
Seattle Stadium
NFL venue name: Lumen Field
NFL home team: Seattle Seahawks
Capacity: 69,000
World Cup matches: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar, United States vs. Australia, Belgium vs. Egypt, Egypt vs. Iran, round of 32, round of 16
Fitted with artificial turf, Lumen Field required an investment of $19.4 million that will also cover the costs for infrastructure, security and transportation, reported the Seattle Times in 2025.
Work began after the end of the recent NFL season, requiring the deployment of nearly a foot of sand on top of the stadium’s artificial turf. The ryegrass-Kentucky bluegrass blend was placed in March ahead of a U.S. women’s national team friendly against Japan. According to the Seattle Times, “installing and maintaining the field was the bulk” of the $19.4 million approved.
As for the stadium infrastructure, the replacement of bleacher-like benches in a northern section will now have backed seating, in compliance with FIFA protocols. While the stadium will return to its artificial turf after the World Cup, the new seats will remain.
Seattle will host the USMNT in the group stage.
