From research to reality: FIFA’s shallow pitch system debuts at the Club World Cup

The vast scale and complexity of the recent Club World Cup stood out for Senior Pitch Management Manager, Alan Ferguson. He explains how that will shape preparations for 2026.

With less than a year to go until the FIFA World Cup 2026, the curtain fell on football’s newest showpiece event, the expanded Club World Cup. The new 32-team tournament was also a chance for a dress rehearsal for football’s governing body before next year’s main event.

For Senior Pitch Management Manager, Alan Ferguson, this was an opportunity to test the newly developed shallow pitch profile system, which was deployed in varying levels in five stadiums for the Club World Cup, including MetLife Stadium, where Chelsea FC became the first winners of the new format.

Testing new technology

As a learning opportunity, the FIFA Pitch Team has taken a great deal away from the experience.

““The first thing that hit home for me was the sheer scale of the tournament,” Alan explained. “The Club World Cup was hosted in twelve stadiums across America, with 63 matches, and each host city had its own challenges. However, in ten months’ time, we’ll be at sixteen stadiums in three countries, each with its own climatic challenges.”

“Everything from stadiums to weather really got us thinking, and we have certainly plenty to think about in the coming weeks, and if I’m honest, it’s pretty much where I thought we would be.”

“It’s one thing to research in the universities, but the real challenges come once you do it for real. From what I’ve seen across this tournament, I am confident we will fully align for the World Cup in ten months’ time.”

While these were substantial challenges, the experience gained from the Club World Cup is critical to achieving FIFA’s ambitious goals for the 2026 World Cup. A significant amount of time, effort and money was invested in the research programme run by Tennessee and Michigan State Universities, which developed the shallow pitch profile system, and this was their first real-world tournament test.

“The Club World Cup has given us invaluable insight into what we need to be ready for next year,” says Alan. “And with the systems we’ve developed, I’m confident that we’ll exceed expectations in 2026.”

“Without the research that’s gone into the new system, I’ve got no doubt the five pitches that used it at this tournament wouldn’t have been a success.”

“As the Club World Cup approached, the team installed nine pitches in nine cities in 10 days, which was no mean feat. Everyone, from the Sod farmers to the hauliers, stadium teams and FIFA pitch Managers did a fantastic job pulling it off.”

“The whole operation went as smoothly as I could have hoped for, with the highlight coming in Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium, where we had four days to install ahead of kick-off. Not only did we pull this off, but we also shallow stitched the pitch in situ using five machines in two days, which is another first. There were three concerts in the stadium ahead of the tournament, which only left a four-day window for installation, so we had to work with the time we had.”

“With the tournament over now, I think we still have a way to go so we can reach the uniform standards I want to achieve, but the important thing for me is we saw what we have developed so far, and it worked well.”

“There were some challenges that were unique to this tournament due to turnaround times and the needs of stadium owners that we won’t face at the World Cup, but even those are valuable experiences that we can anticipate now. There were also issues with the weather that prompted us to think, but we can now try to prepare better for that.”

“Most importantly, we’ve changed perceptions of overlay pitches in the US, showing our system can host several games across a tournament. This gives me confidence for the World Cup.”

Up to 75 different floors were tested, with a short list of only seven able to be considered. One product which shone in testing was Permavoid. This modular system proved to be a success, generating ideal surface hardness and traction.

Another key finding from the research was the ability to achieve shallow stitching. Standard stitching in a restricted profile was not an option. FIFA has already implemented this finding in its other tournaments, with two pitches in Chile for the Men’s U20 World Cup, scheduled for September 2025, benefiting from the new technology.

Training Pitch Challenges

Away from the public-facing stadium pitches comes the more significant challenge of the approximately 34 training pitches. Anyone who works in delivering international football tournaments will know this tends to be the most difficult area.

“Tournament training sites usually comprise a diverse range of venues,” Alan begins.

“We had everything from professional MLS training grounds to state-run high school and university pitches.”

“My preference is to pick up as many professional facilities as possible, because by working with the professional venues, we have a much higher starting point, often being able to save significant sums of money along the way.” 

“I have no issue transforming a local training pitch into an international training pitch and leaving a strong legacy for football after the tournament. But such exercises are often underestimated by local organisers. Not only does the uplift in a local pitch require quite a bit of work, but it also requires the staff to upscale training.”

“Again, that’s not a big issue for us, but once the venue realise the time involved and downtime for the venue pitch during the work, it usually creates more issues for venue management. By embracing more professional venues, it offers FIFA the chance to fund legacy programmes across several venues.”

“Ultimately, for us, it comes down to quality. During the Club World Cup, we didn’t always achieve the standards we wanted, but by working with the Local Organising Committee, we can address those issues in time for the World Cup.”

As we count down to the 2026 World Cup, Alan Ferguson remains confident that the lessons learned from the Club World Cup will directly influence the tournament’s success. With new technologies, a better understanding of venue challenges, and a clear focus on legacy, the FIFA Pitch Team is more than ready for the world’s biggest football event.”