INTERNATIONAL SOCCER
of that, after the first couple of match days players said we need to water the pitches more. I ' m thinking we just can ' t, because within 20 minutes of the game starting, the leaf ' s becoming dry. But then, I was sitting in the HQ in Miami, and when they stopped for a cooling break, I spoke to the competition colleagues and said,“ Why can ' t the grass have a cooling break?” We got ahold of our directors, and within three or four hours, it was agreed that when the players stop for a cooling break, the grass gets a cooling break for the 12:00 and 3:00 kickoffs. So even that evolution in that short term has been really, really cool.
With the domed stadiums now, we ' ve been able to understand how we can manage a consistent environment so the grass does think it ' s outside.
It could be baking hot outside, but inside, in Celsius, it ' s maybe 23 or 24 degrees. We ' re using cool-season grasses instead of warm-season grasses. The players will appreciate that because the biggest challenge for any tournament team is to get the pitches consistent over every stadium. That ' s 16 stadiums in three countries. You ' re coming from stadiums at altitude in Mexico, right through the U. S. up to Canada to Vancouver and Toronto. That ' s one hell of a challenge. But I think the guys and the girls have put us in a fantastic position to do that.
SFM: We ' ve been discussing and looking ahead to World Cup 26 for a long time. You and your team and your partners have invested all this time and research. 2026 is here. What does the lead up look like?
Ferguson: It’ s the final stretch. I think we have the huge benefit of having had the Club World Cup. I would have loved all the venues to have been venues for the Club World Cup. because everyone involved in that sportsfieldmanagementonline. com June 2026 | SportsField Management
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