UT is Leading the World in TurfgrasS Research

Perfecting the pitch for FIFA World Cup 26

More than a billion people will watch every kick, save, and goal during FIFA World Cup 26. And every game will take place on a natural turfgrass pitch perfected through turfgrass management research by experts at the University of Tennessee. Before some of the world’s top athletes step onto the pitch, it’s the job of Professor John Sorochan and his team of turfgrass scientists to make sure every field is safe for the players and has identical playing conditions.

So, what does it take to tackle turfgrass research on this ambitious scale?

It takes a team of global turfgrass experts with years of professional experience working with organizations like the NFL and the MBA and at Olympic venues. It takes collaboration with specialists in fields like biomechanics, kinesiology, and plant sciences. And it takes innovative partnerships with industry leaders like FIFA, who for the first time has invested in turfgrass research.

White cleats with an orange Nike Swoosh step in motion on a plot of green turfgrass inside a building.
White cleats with an orange Nike Swoosh step in motion on a plot of green turfgrass inside a building.
Watch UT turfgrass experts prepare pitches for FIFA World Cup 26
Inside a large domed stadium, red and black bleachers surround a rectangular field of sand framed by green turfgrass.

Transformational research

From growing natural grass in a domed stadium with colorful LED lights to installing live plants in the place of artificial turf, UT turfgrass experts are collaborating with researchers at Michigan State University on a five-year project that is pushing the boundaries of turfgrass management. UT is known for research that solves real-world challenges and makes lives better, and this research on turfgrass—a $60 billion dollar industry in the United States—will reach far beyond the realm of sports.  

Read more about the challenges UT experts have faced and the solutions they have developed.

Testing with fLEX

Real-life problems call for innovative solutions, so when lead researcher John Sorochan and research scientist Kyley Dickson needed a mechanism to test the natural turfgrass they were developing for FIFA, they invented the fLEX Device. Between simulating an athlete’s foot strike against the turfgrass and an array of sensors on the machine, data is collected to measure the performance and playability of the surface. The groundbreaking invention ensures that pitches in Canada will play the same as those in Mexico and everywhere in between.

Read more about how fLEX will revolutionize the sports turfgrass industry.

A square orange-and-white machine with the word fLEX written in orange. The machine has four black wheels and a black handle at the front.
Two men, one with white hair and one with dark hair, lean over a machine while outside on a plot of turfgrass.
The fLEX Device uses a cleat to test the playability of a natural turfgrass pitch.
The fLEX Device uses a cleat to test the playability of a natural turfgrass pitch.
Watch the flEX Device in action
A group of people stand on a plot of turfgrass around a man, with a wheeled orange and white machine in the foreground.

Science meets sport

A man looks at a plot of turfgrass lit by a rig of pink lights hanging from the ceiling inside a building. A closeup of grass under LED lights that range from purple to pink to yellow and green.

Over the course of five years, UT’s turfgrass scientists have spent countless hours and conducted more than 170 experiments in pursuit of safe and consistent pitches for FIFA World Cup 26. They have developed turf systems for different kinds of stadiums, grown grass, and worked with sod farmers and stadium managers. Take a look at the research team’s journey from seed to stadium.

Six stacked rolls of sod sit on the ground after being harvested. A large group of people stand on a field with strips of turfgrass, with a river and trees in the background.

We’ve got some of the stiffest challenges that’s ever been put in front of any team. We’re spending millions of dollars here, but we’ve got confidence we can do that, because we know we’re going to get a return.

Alan Ferguson
FIFA senior pitch management manager
Two men look inside a green metal machine that holds rolls of green material. A man with white hair leans over a plug of turfgrass while two other men look on.
A man with an outstretched arm looks under a panel of small round lights at a plot of green turfgrass. Three men in silhouette stand inside the entrance to a building with a rounded roof with flags and banners hanging from the ceiling.
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Nineteen rolls of sod sit in a field of sand with a red tractor placing another roll beside them. A man drives a machine that unrolls sod onto a field of sand while two workers help guide the machine. They are inside a stadium with red bleachers and other workers behind them.
A man in a purple shirt, with a green machine behind him, rakes grass inside a stadium. Rows of large white rigs of lights cover a grass pitch
A cross section of turfgrass layers being installed in a stadium with red and black bleachers in the background.
A woman with long blond hair sits on a plot of turfgrass and writes on a clipboard while two men kneel on grass in the background.
The Experts Get to know the team of experts revolutionizing turfgrass.
A male student in an orange sweatshirt and black shorts steps on a plot of green turfgrass inside a building.
Far-Reaching Impact Take a look at how turfgrass research could reach beyond professional sports.