Mercedes-Benz Stadium Prepares for FIFA Club World Cup with Natural Grass Installation

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is undergoing one of its most extensive field transformations as it prepares to host matches for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament brings 32 of the world’s top professional clubs to U.S. soil, including global powerhouses like Manchester City, Chelsea FC, FC Porto, Al Ain FC, and MLS’s Inter Miami.

The Atlanta-based venue is set to host three group stage matches, two Round of 16 games, and a quarterfinal. Six days into the natural grass installation process, crews are working nearly around the clock following a recent concert. Trucks carrying sand arrived around midnight, followed by full crews prepping the surface.

For the first time, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is going beyond just laying sod. A full root-zone system is being installed beneath the grass, a significant step forward in stadium field technology.

“This is the first time ever bringing in a root-zone—three inches of sand beneath the ground,” says Nick Pappas. “Usually, we only bring in sod and put it on top, but working closely and collaboratively with FIFA, they’ve requested a few different changes that they would like for the tournament. Across the nation, there will be different styles of overlays. Our specific overlay is an aluminum event decking that we put down first, and that was at the request of FIFA. Then we brought in three inches of sand, which they determined was the adequate amount of sand that they would like to see here, and then the specific grass that was grown for this tournament and selected by FIFA we brought in as well.”

The locally sourced sand supports a more consistent and high-performance surface. “It’s a natural root-zone material that would allow for more consistent performance for the athlete—they will be more familiar with it,” Pappas said. “This had to be put in because there is not a permanent grass field in the stadium.”

As the only indoor venue selected for the tournament, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has faced unique challenges. To meet FIFA standards, the stadium chose a specific type of grass that can grow with artificial light. “The grass that FIFA selected was trucked in from Colorado,” Pappas explained. “A number of light rigs will come out for about 6–12 hours at a time. A lot of it will be driven by the overall event schedule. [It’s] a pretty frequent event schedule, so it will be a challenge. But collectively working with the FIFA research group, the amount of lights we have

brought in and the duration we can run them for—it seems we will be able to keep the grass as healthy as possible given the conditions.”

Between matches, usual maintenance will take place—mowing, cleaning the surface, and removing organic matter to make sure of safe and consistent cleat contact for players.

The pitch is a bluegrass-ryegrass blend. Indoor testing was conducted over more than two years to decide what was the best management practices and grow-light requirements for stadiums like Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The shallow-stitching technique used in pitch installation allows for some flexibility with timelines and pitch conditions. A shallow pitch has the same playability and characteristics that are standard to professional soccer pitches worldwide; they are just designed for a short amount of time—around 60 days—after it can be removed. It’s a temporary overlay pitch.

While this year’s Club World Cup is a big opportunity, it also serves as a learning experience for what’s to come as the stadium will also host matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“There is some familiarity for next year,” Pappas said. “We’ll learn a lot this year, but it will be a different situation for next year. There will be more substantial installation next year—we will actually remove the artificial surface, remove the pad beneath it, remove the asphalt, go down about 7–8 inches and bring in a root-zone material, put in an automated irrigation system, and then bring grass in.”

From logistical standpoints to cutting-edge turf science, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is setting the stage, literally, for world-class soccer on American soil.