From gridiron to pitch: How NFL stadiums have tran...
Key takeaways
- Ahead of this summer's tournament taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a total of 11 NFL venues have worked behind the scenes to transform their gridirons into World Cup-suitable pitches.
- While a full field in the NFL is 120 yards long and 53.3 yards wide, FIFA, the governing body that runs the World Cup, requires soccer pitches that are 105 meters (114.8 yards) long and 68 meters (74.4 yards) wide.
- Bylaws also note that World Cup matches must be played on natural grass, presenting another alteration that NFL stadiums had to make ahead of the summer.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Ahead of this summer's tournament taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a total of 11 NFL venues have worked behind the scenes to transform their gridirons into World Cup-suitable pitches. Soon to be used by the likes of global superstars such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo, these fields will look nothing like the usual layouts seen by American football audiences.
To begin with, there's the difference in size. While a full field in the NFL is 120 yards long and 53.3 yards wide, FIFA, the governing body that runs the World Cup, requires soccer pitches that are 105 meters (114.8 yards) long and 68 meters (74.4 yards) wide.
Bylaws also note that World Cup matches must be played on natural grass, presenting another alteration that NFL stadiums had to make ahead of the summer. Like many top-tier European soccer clubs, synthetic fibers have been sewn into the grass to give the fields extra durability and strength.