After 5 Years of Development, Dallas World Cup-Specific Turf to Be Retired After Semifinals

2026 FIFA World Cup Key News

Central Message

(Central News Agency, Dallas, 12th) — France and Spain will compete on the 14th of this month for a spot in the FIFA World Cup final. After this semifinal match, the elevated turf at Dallas Stadium—nearly 1.4 meters high and developed over five years—will be retired.

According to Reuters, FIFA invested five years of research to create the highest-quality playing surfaces for this World Cup. As one of three indoor stadiums, Dallas Stadium installed an international-standard natural grass pitch above the regular field used by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

Ian Craig, FIFA’s Turf Management Lead at Dallas Stadium, said: “We are hosting the world’s largest football tournament with the planet’s best players, so we want to provide them with the best possible playing surface.”

FIFA’s turf management team collaborated with turf scientists from the University of Tennessee and Michigan State University to ensure consistent ball roll and bounce across all 16 competition and training venues.

“This isn’t just about keeping the grass green,” Craig said. “We must ensure the field meets the expectations of elite players—this is the result of years of research and effort.”

Due to limited natural sunlight and constant air conditioning, maintaining turf health at Dallas Stadium is particularly challenging. As a result, cold-tolerant grass species not native to Texas were imported from Colorado.

The stadium has also installed plant growth lights, suspended beneath the roof and moved onto the field on non-match days to promote healthy grass growth.

“The spot where we’re standing is 4.5 feet (about 1.37 meters) higher than the original NFL field,” Craig said. “Beneath us lies a complete soil structure.”

He emphasized that this is not temporary turf but a professional soccer pitch with full soil layers and hybrid systems, equivalent in specification to Europe’s top leagues.

Dallas Stadium has hosted nine World Cup matches over the past four weeks. After the winner of the France-Spain match departs for New York to prepare for the final, Craig and his team will begin dismantling the turf.

“This is a very busy stadium with year-round events,” Craig said. “The turf has completed its mission. The stadium will now return to hosting concerts and NFL games.” (Translation: Liu Wen-Yu) 1150713