‘Enormous project’: Gillette Stadium outlines transition from turf to grass for World Cup

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — One day after hosting a friendly match between France and Brazil, Boston 25 was given a first-hand look at the natural grass field implemented for the FIFA World Cup.

Friday morning, grounds crews at Gillette Stadium were mowing the sod and maintaining the pitch.

Michigan State’s Trey Rogers, professor of turf grass management, was tasked with overseeing natural grass solutions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The games this summer span three countries, 16 stadiums, and 3,100 miles.

FIFA requires all to be natural grass and to meet certain playing standards.

“This has been an enormous project,” said Rogers. “One that we’re very proud to be a part of.”

He’s been overseeing operations with playing surfaces for these games since FIFA approached him in 2019.

Looking at Gillette Stadium’s field Friday, he said, “This was sitting in a sod farm on a piece of plastic just a couple weeks ago. Now, you turn around and look at it, and you’re like, ‘We’re playing on it!’”

He said the grass was harvested in New Jersey and shipped up to Foxboro in refrigerated trucks.

Time-lapse video shared by Kraft Sports + Entertainment showed the 5-day process of crews laying that sod down piece by piece.

Ryan Bjorn, Gillette Stadium’s field superintendent, oversaw the operations in Foxboro.

He said they began ripping up the artificial turf the day after the Patriots were sent off by fans to the Super Bowl.

Over 6 weeks, crews removed 10 inches of gravel underneath the turf, and rebuilt up with sand for the grass to root into.

“The plan right now for me is to make sure this is the strongest pitch it possibly can be for the World Cup,” he said. “To see it roll out was a special moment, and our job is now to keep it that way.”

His crews are able to drain water from underneath the grass, and also battle weather conditions with grow lights that can mimic sunlight.

Bjorn added, “Our goal is to have as many tools as we possibly can to control as many factors as we can, knowing that here in New England, weather is really the one thing we can’t control.”

Rogers and Bjorn said the grass length is 9/10th of an inch — and is meant to keep conditions standards across playing surfaces.

Rogers finished, “The ball reacts different on natural grass, and the players know that. These are the best players in the world, and they can tell if something’s even a little bit off.”

Representatives from Gillette Stadium would not specify if or when the artificial turf will be reinstalled.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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