WINNING GROUNDS
WORLD CUP 2026
Play the pitch, play the crowd, play the world
World Cup Winning Grounds 2026 celebrates the pitches, stadiums, training grounds and people behind football’s biggest stage. Across all 16 World Cup host venues, SGL helps create the conditions for world-class pitch performance and unforgettable moments. Discover the expertise, technology and dedication behind the grounds where football history will be written.
Winning Grounds
The World Cup is where the world comes together. Where nations dream, fans unite and unforgettable moments become part of football history.
Across Canada, Mexico and the United States, sixteen stadiums will host the biggest tournament on earth. Each one is more than a venue. It is a winning ground. A stage for ambition, drama, triumph and unforgettable memories.
Explore the Winning Grounds
My Winning Ground
Long before the first whistle, thousands of hours go into preparing the world’s biggest stage. Meet the people behind the pitches and discover the stories, challenges and passion that shape every World Cup moment.
We are in a really good position. The Club World Cup helped us tremendously in understanding what is needed to prepare for a tournament of this scale. It showed us what is required, what works, and where we need to focus our efforts to be fully prepared for the World Cup.
Tony Leonard, Director of Grounds – Philadelphia Stadium
It’s going to be an interesting World Cup. Stadiums are spread across Canada, the United States and Mexico, and thus have very different growing climates. It will be a challenge to get consistency across all of the sixteen playing fields, so the ball bounces and rolls the same way on each surface.
Robert Heggie, Director of Grounds – Toronto Stadium
The scale of this tournament is incredible. It’s not just about the 16 stadiums but also the 48 host camps and 32 training sites. The number of sports turf professionals involved is massive.
Tyler Morris, Head Sports Field Manager – New York/New Jersey Stadium
The focus is on consistency and uniformity, for 104 matches across 16 stadiums — including five indoors — at different altitudes, in different countries and on two types of grass, the goal is to make them play the same. That has been my vision and goal from the beginning.
John Sorochan, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Turfgrass Science – University of Tennessee
Stadium of the Day
Boston Stadium
Boston Stadium is a true World Cup Winning Ground. Better known as Gillette Stadium, the venue in Foxborough is home to the NFL’s New England Patriots and MLS side New England Revolution. During the tournament, it will host seven matches in a stadium built for big occasions and passionate crowds.
Opened in 2002, the stadium has become one of the most recognisable sports venues in the United States. For 2026, the pitch will once again take centre stage, transforming an iconic American football venue into a football arena watched by millions around the world.
Upcoming Games
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Portugal | Houston Stadium VS 19:00 GMT+2 |
Uzbekistan |  |
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England | Boston Stadium VS 22:00 GMT+2 |
Ghana |  |
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Panama | Toronto Stadium VS 01:00 GMT+2 |
Croatia |  |
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Colombia | Guadalajara Stadium VS 04:00 GMT+2 |
DR Congo |  |
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FIFA World Cup 26™ Houston
World Cup pitch testing with fLEX
Every World Cup moment starts with confidence in the surface beneath the game. To help deliver that confidence, FIFA has selected SGL’s fLEX to assess the pitch quality of all 16 stadiums and 32 training facilities throughout the tournament.
By combining true player-to-surface simulation with detailed performance insights, fLEX provides a unique understanding of how a pitch will perform when it matters most.
Join Dr. Kyley Dickson, Co-founder and Director of fLEX at SGL, for an inside look at the technology helping prepare the winning grounds of the 2026 World Cup.
