Before the first whistle blew, University of Tennessee at Knoxville researchers scrambled in the 11th hour to prepare soccer pitches across 16 North American stadiums hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a range of time zones, climates and elevations.
John Sorochan, a distinguished professor of turfgrass science and management at UT, had FIFA's high expectations to worry about: "It would be a failure if we had to replace any grass between any games in any of the stadiums," he said.
But as players ran, cut, kicked and tackled on the turf, his concerns began to melt into relief. Not only did FIFA not have to replace turf, Sorochan told Knox News, but pitch managers at several stadiums found "the pitch got better as the tournament went on."
As UT researchers wrap up their final reports, the tournament's success is already shaping UT's next chapter with FIFA.
FIFA officials have signaled their desire to continue working with UT. Before this year's tournament, Sorochan completed a research visit to Morocco − one of six countries set to host the 2030 World Cup − to help identify potential challenges, obstacles and opportunities in the host country.
#sorochan #researchers #replace
John Sorochan, a distinguished professor of turfgrass science and management at UT, had FIFA's high expectations to worry about: "It would be a failure if we had to replace any grass between any games in any of the stadiums," he said.
But as players ran, cut, kicked and tackled on the turf, his concerns began to melt into relief. Not only did FIFA not have to replace turf, Sorochan told Knox News, but pitch managers at several stadiums found "the pitch got better as the tournament went on."
As UT researchers wrap up their final reports, the tournament's success is already shaping UT's next chapter with FIFA.
FIFA officials have signaled their desire to continue working with UT. Before this year's tournament, Sorochan completed a research visit to Morocco − one of six countries set to host the 2030 World Cup − to help identify potential challenges, obstacles and opportunities in the host country.
#sorochan #researchers #replace
23 days ago
