06/22/2026
The 2026 World Cup is well on its way, with 48 teams already battling it out during group play. ⚽️ Jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the tournament features 104 total games, played over the course of about 40 days, in 16 different stadiums across the continent. 🏟️ Soccer—or football to most people—is the one of the world’s most popular sports, bringing together billions of players and fans across continents. So, it is only fitting to talk about an important element of the game that is more ubiquitous than the sport itself: grass. 🌱
Since 2018, researchers worked to create the perfect fields for the World Cup, using a combination of plant biology, agricultural research, and engineering to make the fields feel uniform and consistent in across the stadiums, which span thousands of miles and multiple climates. What types of turfgrasses are best? How do their unique How should the grasses be grown? How can the surface be reinforced to be stronger and more durable? Check out our latest post on Translating Science to learn more! Igbillinois.substack.com
