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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Monday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino saw his organization’s investment for the first time.
FIFA is working with the University of Tennessee and Michigan State University to receive grass for all 16 host sites for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We’re organizing the World Cup. The World Cup has the best players, the best teams, the best fans. It has to have as well, the best pitches,” said Infantino.
Infantino was flanked by John Sorochan, the distinguished professor of Turfgrass Science and Management at UT, UT System President Randy Boyd and UT Institute of Agriculture Vice Chancellor Keith Carver, among others.
“We’ll bring Tennessee to the world,” Infantino finished his speech with.
Sorochan is the brainchild behind the entire concept.
The idea is, over the past decade, UT and MSU have researched different grasses, cuts, feed, and the like to bring uniformity across all 16 cites in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
“I started thinking about this in 2018, and I actually started doing anticipatory work, research back, in 2016,″ said Sorochan.
That work is brought to life by multiple tests and uses of unique machinery to make sure the bounce is just right and player safety is paramount.
“When a player runs and cuts, it’s going to be the same. When the ball bounces and rolls, it’s going to be the same, and that’s the challenge I’ve been tasked with,” Sorochan said.
Sorochan said he isn’t worried though. He feels confident the turf is ready to go from climates that range from Mexico City, Mexico, to Miami, Florida, and to Vancouver, British Columbia, just to name a few.
“We want to make sure that the quality of the grass, on the pitch, is the same for all teams and for all players in all cities,” said Infantino.
Sorochan has worked with the University of Tennessee Athletics Department on the turf inside Neyland Stadium.
He said he took what he’s learned there and used it in this project and others.
“Working with UT Athletics and them being open to partnering with us to use it as a proving ground, it’s been one of the highest quality fields for the last four or five years in college football,” said Sorochan. “We use that as a corridor for what we want to achieve for other pitches, or NFL fields, or FIFA World Cup fields or even high school fields and the safety for kids.”
Now, as the FIFA Club World Cup gets underway in June of 2025 and the World Cup the following year, Sorochan and the team he surrounded himself with are prepared to welcome the world to the work of The University of Tennessee.
“You know, five billion people watch the World Cup, and one billion people, 20 percent of the world, watches the final. That’s kind of surreal,” said Sorochan.
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