The $9bn World Cup pitch built for Ronaldo – Colorado grass and Netherlands lights transform NFL stadium

The stadium roof will be closed and the inside temperature will be set to a perfect 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22.2 Celsius).

Cold-climate grass will be flown in from Colorado and glowing ‘grow’ lights from the Netherlands will help produce a new pitch for international football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo — that could be ripped out just days after the last 2026 FIFA World Cup match is played inside the normal home of the NFL‘s Houston Texans.

getty

New FIFA World Cup pitch will last ‘forever’

“We’re building a grass pitch in that stadium as though it’s been there forever and as though it’s going to be there forever,” Chris Canetti, president of the Houston World Cup Host Committee, exclusively told talkSPORT.

The fourth-largest city in America is scheduled to host seven World Cup matches inside NRG Stadium from June 14 through July 4, including two knockout contests.

Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Curacao, Congo DR, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia are set to pursue the Jules Rimet trophy inside a venue with a 72,000-seat capacity that sits next to the vacant Astrodome, cost $325 million to build in 2002 and could require a $1.4 billion renovation.

“It’s a great stadium. There wasn’t too much work that needed to be done,” said Canetti, who previously served as the president of MLS’ Houston Dynamo.

Except for a couple critical to-do list items at the core of a World Cup that could bring in $9 billion in revenue but has been shadowed by overpriced tickets and potential travel issues.

While NFL players campaign for grass fields in all 32 NFL stadiums, FIFA required the player-friendly surface in its American World Cup venues that will include Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots), Lumen Field (Seattle Seahawks) and SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Rams and Chargers).

Stadium seats removed to widen pitch

“In the previous editions of the World Cup, whether it’s in Qatar or Russia or Brazil or South Africa, a lot of the stadiums were built from scratch,” Canetti said.

“When the stadiums are built from scratch, they’re built right to the FIFA spec book, right, so they are compliant with FIFA from day one. 

“We haven’t built any stadiums here in the United States, Mexico or Canada. In particularly in the United States, we’re using NFL-built stadiums, so they don’t meet the FIFA spec book. They’re great, awesome spectacles of venues. But the work needs to be done to bring them up to FIFA code. 

“We had to make a major renovation this past summer where we took out some seats to widen the pitch area to make sure that there was enough pitch width for FIFA. If you were to go over to the stadium right now, you would see us installing the grass pitch.”

getty

getty

getty

NRG Stadium is a multi-purpose entertainment venue with a concrete floor, which allows it to bounce between everything from the NFL to an all-encompassing annual rodeo.

“The surface is brought in for whatever the event is,” Canetti said.

“If it’s an NFL game, they’re bringing in the artificial turf. If it’s an NCAA basketball game, they’re bringing in a hardwood floor. If it’s Disney on Ice, they’re bringing in ice. And if it’s the rodeo, they’re bringing in dirt.”

To build a temporary NFL-turned-World Cup pitch good enough for Ronaldo, Virgil van Dijk and some of the best football players on the planet, sub-air ventilation and an irrigation system will be employed.

‘Comfortable’ temperature and artificial lights

NRG Stadium’s roof will also keep out the scorching Texas summer heat, while the inside temperature will be set to “very comfortable.”

“There’s a 22-inch sand base,” Canetti said.

Countdown to the World Cup

104 Super Bowls in six weeks – Brian T Smith argues that the Super Bowl might just be about to be blown out of the water

Ranking the World Cup venues – from New York to Los Angeles, a string of spectacular venues will play host to the 2026 World Cup

Over and Elbowed Out – exclusive interview with the USMNT hero whose 1994 World Cup ended with a fractured skull

Chris Richards Exclusive – the Crystal Palace defender opens up on his journey to the top, next stop a home World Cup for the kid from Birmingham, Alabama

“The sod will go on. It’ll be grown and rooted well before the first game. 

“The roof will stay closed because it’s a cold climate grass that’s actually coming in from Colorado, and we will use these grow lights to artificially produce sunlight. The grow lights have come from the Netherlands, so a lot of technology and science goes behind this. 

“But if a fan were to come into that stadium and not know any better — or even a player, hopefully — it’ll look like that grass pitch has been there for the entirety of the stadium’s life and as though it’s going to stay there forever — even though probably two days after the event is over, we unfortunately have to tear it out.” 

Countdown clock is ticking for FIFA

Less than one month away from Match 10 (Germany vs Curacao), Canetti said that everything is on target.

A fan festival is being built in EaDo (east downtown Houston), streets are being repaired, a general clean up is underway and countdown clocks decorate highway billboards

“Over the next coming weeks, you’ll start to see all the branding go up at the airports and the street banners,” Canetti said.  

getty

“So there’s signs of the World Cup coming all over the place.”

Starting with a grass pitch imported from Colorado, glowing lights from the Netherlands and a thermostat set to 72.