[Elvis]

[St. Loser Fan]

The real grass looks great. But the guys doing corner kicks will start with their backs against the wall.

[rams74]

The real grass looks great. But the guys doing corner kicks will start with their backs against the wall.

That was my first impression as well. There's no room there in the corners.

[St. Loser Fan]

Bummer that Jerruhworld gets the Final.

[snackdaddy]

Are football games gonna be on grass?

[St. Loser Fan]

I don’t have an “The Athletic” subscription any more so I can’t read the article.

My guess is Stan doesn’t want to give FIFA the briefcases of cash, the top shelf call girls and Rolls Royces they’re used to getting.

[Elvis]

[St. Loser Fan]

They’ll need to watch this for the World Cup.

[Elvis]

How SoFi Stadium made its field World Cup-ready this offseason
By Arash Markazi
Aug 5, 2024

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – SoFi Stadium underwent offseason renovations to increase the size of its field in preparation for the 2026 World Cup but it was hard for soccer fans who watched the recent Arsenal-Manchester United match at the $5 billion home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers to see the changes.

In fact, the changes won’t really be noticeable to anyone until the United States takes the field at SoFi Stadium on June 12, 2026 for its first World Cup at home in 32 years.

That’s because the modifications that were made largely involved replacing concrete in the lower bowl with seating sections that can be rolled back or temporarily removed and stacked like a Lego set, according to Otto Benedict, the Senior Vice President, Facility and Campus Operations at Sofi Stadium and Hollywood Park. The changes will not change the seating capacity or layout of the stadium.

Benedict gave The Sporting Tribune a look at how the field will be expanded for the 2026 World Cup during the Arsenal-Manchester United match, which was the last soccer game at SoFi Stadium before the stadium hosts back-to-back preseason games for the Rams and Chargers this weekend heading into the stadium's fifth season as the home of both NFL teams.

“We have an entire demountable system (in the corner of the field),” Benedict said. “All of the (field) suites will stay intact but the seating sections are demountable and like Legos, they unstack and we are able to pull it out and when we put our pitch in, all of the (field suite) space will now be actual field space.”

As Benedict walked around one of the corner field suites, he looked up at the suite’s ceiling, which will be retracted during the World Cup, and said, “When you’re standing here for a FIFA (World Cup) match and you look up, you are looking up at the sky.”

Benedict later pointed at the corner flag during the Arsenal-Manchester United match which sat at 72 yards wide along the goal line. FIFA’s stadium guidelines state that the field of play, which is the area bounded by the goal lines and touchlines, should be 105 meters by 68 meters, which is 114.83 yards by 74.36 yards. In order to create the extra seven feet needed in the corners at SoFi Stadium, the field suites will be removed and the field will be widened to create a FIFA regulated natural grass surface.

While much was made about SoFi Stadium’s field size and if it would prevent the venue from hosting the World Cup, in the end the stadium was awarded eight World Cup matches and the coveted first United States match in addition to the team’s third match, which will likely decide if the United States advances past the group stage. Only AT&T Stadium, which is hosting the final, was awarded more with nine total matches.

“FIFA has seen all of this and they love it,” Benedict said. “We’ve already submitted them our pitch design and they love it.”

Next year SoFi Stadium will install a natural grass surface in the summer of 2025 and effectively have a test run during the NFL offseason. “We’re going to build our test pitch for FIFA to see,” Benedict said. “They’ll come out, they’ll work with us and they’ll see all of the things we’re doing. I’m flying up to see our grass grower in Washington to talk about some stuff with them. All of these pieces are ready to go and FIFA has been involved with us every step of the way. There’s nothing we are doing that FIFA hasn’t already seen, been involved in, approved or liked.”

After the 2025 NFL season is over, SoFi Stadium will begin preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which will include installing the new grass field that will be in place for at least 30 days before the middle of May when FIFA’s exclusive use of SoFi Stadium begins and runs through the end of the tournament.

While SoFi Stadium’s renovations were made with the World Cup in mind, they will come in handy when the stadium will host swimming events during the 2028 Summer Olympics and maybe even a baseball game one day.

“We’re going to put swimming pools here in 2028,” Benedict said. “That’s what’s so great about this building. We’re very excited with how this building can receive any event, whether it’s the Super Bowl, WrestleMania, FIFA World Cup or the Olympics. We’re ready for the next thing. Maybe someone wants to play a baseball game here. Let’s figure that one out. We’re ready.”

[ramsman34]

If they can do real grass for soccer, can’t they do it for the NFL?