The 2026 World Cup is fast approaching and teams are getting their first taste of conditions.
All 104 World Cup games will be played in 16 venues across the United States, Canada and Mexico – mostly NFL stadiums.
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FIFA explicitly prohibits corporate-sponsored names, a long standing policy with the aim to prevent sponsors not affiliated with the organization from receiving exposure.
Stadiums like the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico have had their name changed to ‘Mexico City Stadium’.
In addition to the name changes, NFL Stadiums mostly use turf for their surface, but will change it to natural grass for the World Cup.
Dallas Stadium, which has been ranked as the best venue, has sparred no expense to get the surface up to FIFA’s standards, according to NBC’s Dallas affiliate.
The grass was grown in Colorado, an irrigation system was installed, and pink lights to boost healthy growth.
It was a project that took roughly 45,000 man hours, and the results across the stadiums have given a big warning to fans.
World Cup gets pitch warning after viral video
The home of the Carolina Panthers was recently green-lit for a $800 million renovation which will completely transform the Stadium ahead of the Panthers‘ 2030 NFL season.
While it is not hosting any World Cup games, it will be the venue of the USMNT’s first warm up game against Senegal on 31 May and reportedly had a grass field laid for the game.
Senegalese players were captured trying to make sense of how the ball bounces,
The World Cup stars were throwing balls high into the air and the resulting bounce hardly got above their waist.
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Fans slam terrible pitches before a ball has been kicked
“That’s a really dead bounce, I hope that’s not an indication as to what it’s going to be like because that’s embarrassing,” one fan commented on social media.
“I said that was going to be an issue with this World Cup. The fields aren’t made for this. And each field is different. It’s going to be a stress test for all teams,” a second added.
“The bounce is diabolical. The pitch is s***. I swear, this is going to be the f****** worst WC in history,” a third furiously added.
“If that’s an indication, then this is going to be an absolute terrible disaster,” a fourth predicted.
“What is that bounce? That doesn’t even look normal, why are they letting the world cup take place on subpar grass,” a fifth concluded.
Senegal will be a good opposition for Mauricio Pochettino’s men in their first warm-up game.
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The Lions of Teranga are ranked 14th in the world — two spots higher than the hosts.
Pochettino named his 26-man roster last week and this matchup will give fans a good indication as to whether a formation switch is on the cards.
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All 104 games at the 2026 World Cup this summer will be live on eSPORTY, eSPORTY 2 and the eSPORTY app.
