SportsField Management January 2026 | Page 45

INTERNATIONAL SOCCER
HOUSTON STADIUM Location: Houston, Texas, USA Opened: 2002 Capacity: 72,000 Roof: Retractable Turfgrass: Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass blend, hybrid reinforced fibers Sod Origin: Green Valley Sod, Colorado
The stadium is unique for its irrigation and drainage systems, which are built into the concrete floor that was originally constructed to accommodate modular synthetic turf systems. The replacement of its synthetic turf necessitated a layer of Permavoid— high-strength modular plastic cells used for drainage— and the field was built up with a geotextile fabric and sand.
KANSAS CITY STADIUM Location: Kansas City, Missouri, USA Opened: 1972 Capacity: 73,000 Roof: Open air Turfgrass: Bermudagrass, hybrid reinforced fibers Sod Origin: Carolina Green, North Carolina
The stadium’ s playing surface was expanded to meet FIFA’ s criteria for pitches, which is 344 feet by 223 feet. For FIFA World Cup 26, the synthetic turf was replaced with a gravel layer, a vacuum ventilation system, 30 centimeters of sand, and sod made of bermudagrass. The sod will be shallowly stitched so it can be easily removed for the NFL season.
Kansas City Stadium
Houston Stadium
LOS ANGELES STADIUM Location: Inglewood, California, USA Opened: 2020 Capacity: 70,000 Roof: Fixed translucent Turfgrass: Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass blend, hybrid reinforced fibers Sod Origin: Desert Green Sod, Washington
The pitch synthetic turf pitch was covered with concert flooring to prepare for installation of natural turfgrass. To improve the spectators’ view, a 15-inch layer of Permavoid( high-strength modular plastic cells used for drainage) was added to the floor along with a geotextile fabric and 20 centimeters of sand.
Los Angeles Stadium sportsfieldmanagementonline. com January 2026 | SportsField Management
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