Scientists Spent 5 Years Developing Turf for the World Cup—Here’s How To Bring It to Your Backyard

The FIFA World Cup officially kicks off next week. But while the rest of the globe watches the world's best soccer players vie for the championship, John Sorochan and John "Trey" Rogers III will be watching the field.

Sorochan and Rogers—professors of turfgrass science management in the renowned programs at the University of Tennessee and Michigan State University, respectively—headed up the team of researchers responsible for developing the turfgrass that will serve as the backdrop for the greatest sporting event on Earth.

Their task was monumental: ensure optimal ball performance, reduce player injury, and deploy it across 16 stadiums in three countries and 10 vastly different climate zones.

To get the job done, the team spent five years and $5 million conducting more than 170 experiments in pursuit of a safe, consistent pitch. The results of their efforts have yet to be battle-tested, but already, they’re expected to change the future of turfgrass.

“Sharing our evidence-based research for the World Cup 26 and with others from around the world means everything to me,” Sorochan told Torchbearer, the magazine of the University of Tennessee. “Knowing that a fifth of the world is watching something you have been a part of—it’s hard to imagine the emotion that I’m going to feel.”

And while the average homeowner might not be able to devote millions of dollars or half a decade to their lawn, this groundbreaking research still has plenty to offer your own backyard.

The great grass divides: Climate, roofs, and farms

At the core of Sorochan and Rogers’ challenge was scalability. They needed to innovate a turf system capable of thriving across nearly a dozen distinct climate zones, inside stadiums featuring nine different roof structures, all with vastly disparate access to local sod farms.

Compounding the issue was the need to convert venues with preexisting synthetic turf. Standard artificial turf falls short of FIFA’s stringent requirements, largely because synthetic surfaces are linked to a significantly higher rate of noncontact injuries.

The team's priority was engineering a universal drainage and reinforcement system. It had to meet FIFA's standards while working seamlessly in both raw synthetic-to-natural conversions and existing grass stadiums.

To achieve this, Sorochan and Rogers repurposed a long-established product called Permavoid—a modular plastic drainage system—reimagining it as a high-performance subfloor. Their adaptation drastically reduced the field's overall weight and allowed for lightning-fast installation.

Next came the turf itself. The researchers deployed a specialized growing strategy known as sod-on-plastic. Under this system, sod is cultivated on plastic sheets layered with just an inch and a half of sand. Because the roots can't penetrate the plastic, they weave into a dense horizontal mat, allowing the mature turf to be easily rolled up like a carpet and shipped without losing structural integrity.

The logistics of growing, though, were only half the battle. While turf managers rely on just a dozen core grass species, thousands of distinct cultivars exist. Through meticulous testing, the team formulated an exact genetic recipe for each of the 16 stadiums.

Then there was the matter of ensuring each pitch was durable enough to withstand the aggressive, world-class play that makes the World Cup, well, the World Cup. To do so, Sorochan and Rogers implemented a hybrid turfgrass system.

In these turfs, synthetic fibers are woven directly into the natural grass. As that natural grass grows, its roots wrap tightly around the synthetic strands like rebar in concrete. The hidden structural network ensures that when an elite athlete digs their cleats in to pivot or accelerate, the sand root zone holds firm instead of giving way to a massive, tournament-disrupting divot or field blowout.

But it wasn't enough to build these systems. Sorochan and Rogers needed to thoroughly test each stadium's turfgrass before it reached the world stage—a challenge that led to yet another groundbreaking innovation.

Sorochan's team created a custom device featuring a 3D-printed foot, and used the invention—dubbed the Flex Device—to simulate the exact traction, displacement, and rotational forces of a running athlete. Their tests proved that whether a match is played under an open sky or a closed dome, the ball bounce and foot traction remain flawlessly uniform across all stadiums.

Groundbreaking turf within reach

If all of that sounds like a luxury reserved for elite athletes, you might be surprised to learn just how much of this technology is actually within reach for a household lawn.

Kentucky bluegrass, bermudagrass, and ryegrass are all readily available to consumers in both seed and sod form. While you may have to pay a premium to source turf grown in the sod-on-plastic fashion, high-quality seed can be purchased for as little as $5 to $10 per pound. Even modular drainage systems like Permavoid are accessible to the most determined DIYers.

But rather than focusing strictly on implementing the exact procedures used on the world stage, turf expert Greg Phillips tells Realtor.com® it’s better to look at the big picture.

“Take inspiration from it,” he says. “But don’t get disappointed if you can’t get there, because there’s a reason.”

The biggest reason is that you aren't building a sports field completely from the ground up, the way Sorochan and Rogers did. As Phillips puts it, with “home lawns, you’re really dealing with what is there and what you have to work with.”

Still, you can easily apply the core principles of the FIFA research team by starting with a drainage audit. Forget the stadium-grade vacuum system and just focus on keeping your soil from harboring standing water to prevent root rot.

From there, target microclimates. Take note of how shadows from your house or trees move across the yard throughout the day, and map out your turf species based on that light exposure.

Most importantly, embrace the blend instead of relying on a single type of grass. Just as World Cup managers mix cultivars to survive pests and heavy wear, blending different seed varieties gives your lawn a built-in genetic insurance policy against disease and weather extremes.

You don’t need a multimillion-dollar budget or a 3D-printed foot to cultivate a spectacular yard. By adopting the mindset of a sports turf scientist, you can still engineer a world-class field of dreams right outside your door.