Jude Bellingham didn’t mince words after a Club World Cup match in Charlotte.
“The pitches aren’t great at all. It holds the ball up. The ball barely bounces. It’s tough on the knees as well,” the Real Madrid midfielder said. “Hopefully it’s something that someone will look at, going into next year.”
His frustration touched a nerve. Several other players echoed the sentiment during this summer’s expanded Club World Cup in the U.S. From uneven bounces to spongey overlays, the issue wasn’t just aesthetics. It was performance and safety.
So, what does an ideal pitch actually look like? And how far are U.S. stadiums—especially those prepping for the 2026 World Cup—from hitting that standard?
The Club World Cup turf problem
Many of the 2025 Club World Cup venues were converted from artificial turf to temporary natural grass overlays. Stadiums like Bank of America (Charlotte), Mercedes-Benz (Atlanta), and MetLife (New Jersey) all laid sod over existing turf. In theory, that brought them in line with FIFA’s mandate for natural grass. In practice, the result was mixed.
In Charlotte, where Bellingham played, the sod sat atop synthetic turf and struggled to root. The result? A slow, heavy pitch that affected ball movement and strained players’ knees.
Seattle, MetLife, and Atlanta took more care. Turf scientists from UT and Michigan State advised on climate-specific blends. In Atlanta, crews installed a firmer metal underlayer to prevent the dreaded “trampoline effect.” But even then, players noted patches drying too fast, causing long passes to skip and short ones to stick.
Orlando’s Camping World Stadium was the lone exception—keeping its FIFA Quality Pro-certified artificial turf. Its high-end system featured a shock pad and organic infill. It passed all FIFA benchmarks for ball roll, bounce, and player safety. Ironically, it was one of the most consistent fields in the tournament.
Other stadiums fared better. Hard Rock (Miami), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), and Audi Field (D.C.) already had elite natural or hybrid pitches. These required minimal tweaks and delivered consistent footing, bounce, and speed. But overall, the turf experience was uneven—literally.
What elite pitches get right
Top European stadiums like the Santiago Bernabéu, Wembley, and Allianz Arena invest heavily in pitch infrastructure. Most use hybrid systems: natural grass reinforced with synthetic fibers. This ensures stability, prevents divots, and allows for tight, fast cuts without compromising player safety.
The Bernabéu even has a retractable pitch stored underground in a climate-controlled chamber. It’s tended with robotic mowers, fertilization systems, and LED grow lights. Wembley relies on Desso GrassMaster—a sewn-in fiber grid beneath natural turf—to withstand relentless use.
Key features of an ideal pitch:
- Even ball roll: 16–24 feet of travel on standard tests, with no stickiness or dead spots.
- Predictable bounce: Not too high or too flat. FIFA measures rebound height to ensure it mimics natural turf.
- Firmness with shock absorption: Protects knees and ankles while giving enough push-off for fast play.
- Consistent traction: Rotational resistance must be high enough for cuts but low enough to release safely during pivots.
- Grass health and root depth: Deep roots prevent slippage and tearing. The grass should grow as one with the base.
U.S. fields like TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Lincoln Financial, and the Rose Bowl are already close to this standard. But temporary overlays—no matter how well prepped—struggle to reach it unless given weeks to root.
How the U.S. can catch up by 2026
The good news? The Club World Cup acted as a proving ground. FIFA, turf scientists, and stadium operators gained valuable data. Some stadiums are now investing in permanent sub-base systems, including underlay irrigation and heating pipes to support long-term grass installations.
For 2026, every World Cup venue will be required to have natural grass. That gives sites like MetLife and Mercedes-Benz a second chance to get it right—ideally by installing hybrid pitches with proper shock-absorbing layers and climate-specific grass blends.
As Bellingham said, this isn’t just about aesthetics. A perfect pitch is the foundation for performance and safety. And in a tournament where margins are tight and every moment matters, the ground beneath your boots can’t be the weak link.
