Grass installation starts at MetLife Stadium ahead of World Cup

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Workers have begun installing the grass field at MetLife Stadium, site of eight World Cup matches including the final in July 19.

FIFA is using two types of surfaces for the expanded 48-nation, 104-game tournament, which starts June 12 and will be played at 11 sites in the U.S., three in Mexico and two in Canada.

Bermuda grass will be used for the venues in warm season venues: East Rutherford, New Jersey; Guadalajara, Mexico; Kansas City, Missouri; Miami Gardens, Florida; Monterrey, Mexico; and Santa Clara, California

Perennial rye mixed with Kentucky bluegrass will be used at what FIFA said were cool season and indoor venues: Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Houston; Inglewood, California; Mexico City; Philadelphia; Seattle; Toronto; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Grass for the stadiums and also training sites was produced and harvested starting about 10 months ago at 10 turf farms in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., FIFA said.

Installation at MetLife of about 600 rolls of grass grown in North Carolina started Wednesday, with a goal of completing it late Thursday. Eighteen-to-24 inches of sand were put down along with Permavoid, a permeable cloth, followed by a vacuum and ventilation layer, then more sand and then grass. Artificial stitching is used between the rolls.

MetLife, home of the NFL's New York Giants and Jets, usually has an artificial turf surface. In addition, 1,740 seats in the corners were removed to allow room for a soccer field and runup area for corner kicks. The stadium's record capacity for sports was 83,367 for a Jets-Giants game in October 2023.

FIFA requires a 75-by-115 yard (68-by-105 meter) pitch for World Cup games, although that requirement was ignored by some venues during the 1994 tournament in the U.S.

“We started last night at roughly 4 o'clock, 5 o'clock," FIFA Senior Pitch Manager David Graham said. "There's been 14 trucks onsite yesterday. We finished about 2 a.m. We then continued on at 11 o'clock this morning with a further 13 trucks. It's going to plan at the moment. We had a slight weather delay last night, but other than that we've been on track.”

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup