6  / SEEDWORLD.COM  OCTOBER 2026
From Seed to Stadium: 
How Natural Grass 
Took Center Stage 
at the World Cup
The science, seed and collaboration behind the 
natural grass pitches built for 16 stadiums across 
three countries.
By Aimee Nielson, Seed World U.S. Contributor
THE GIANT PINK lights that illumi­
nated AT&T Stadium at night became 
something of a curiosity in North Texas.
Television stations explained them. 
Drivers passing through Arlington 
snapped photos. Social media users 
wondered why one of the world’s most 
recognizable football stadiums suddenly 
looked like it was growing vegetables in 
the middle of the night.
The answer was particularly interesting 
to seed and turfgrass professionals.
Those lights helped sustain one of the 
most complicated pieces of infrastructure 
built specifically for the 2026 FIFA World 
Cup. Behind some of the world’s most 
scrutinized pitches was an enormous 
network of plant breeders, university 
researchers, seed companies, sod grow­
ers, engineers, stadium operators and turf 
managers—all working toward a singular 
goal.
DLF strategic account manager for 
sports turf Matthew Duncan said the 
answer is equal parts science, logistics 
and collaboration when interviewed prior 
to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Duncan 
has spent years working at the intersec­
tion of turfgrass genetics and elite sports 
infrastructure. As preparations for the 
World Cup accelerated, he found himself 
helping explain a process most people 
never consider: how plant breeding, sod 
production and turf and stadium man­
agement converged beneath one of the 
world's biggest sporting events.
“At the end of the day, everybody 
would be happy if no one notices,” 
Duncan says. “As long as they’re seeing 
green grass and the field is not being an 
issue during these games, I think every­
body can be happy.”
A ground-level view reveals the turf profile and growing medium beneath the 
playing surface, where stability, drainage and rooting are as important as the 
grass players see above ground. PHOTO: DLF

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