{"id":19581,"date":"2026-05-21T23:28:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/19581\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T23:28:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:28:24","slug":"mercedes-benz-stadiums-new-grass-field-for-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/19581\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s new grass field for World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your Support Keeps Us Strong<\/p>\n

The Atlanta Voice has stood as a pillar of truth, empowerment, and advocacy in Metro Atlanta for six decades. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we invite you to invest in independent journalism that serves YOU. Every dollar fuels our mission to keep our stories alive.<\/p>\n

\"\"Stuart Wilson, the FIFA Pitch Venue Manager at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (above) said the Kentucky Blue Grass was tested in Tennessee before making its way to Atlanta. \u201cIt thrives best in this environment,\u201d Wilson said. Photo by Donnell Suggs\/The Atlanta Voice <\/p>\n

The sprinklers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium came on while the grass expert was talking. The timing could not have been better.<\/p>\n

Stuart Wilson, the FIFA Pitch Venue Manager, was explaining how the Kentucky Blue Grass blanketing the soccer pitch inside the stadium made its way to Atlanta when the waterworks began. Wilson, a former staffer with Arsenal Football Club, didn\u2019t bat an eye as the water mad ethe already emerald green glass shimmer and shine.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt thrives best in this environment. It\u2019s a natural sod stitched with natural fibers,\u201d Wilson explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Interior of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Photo by Donnell Suggs\/The Atlanta Voice<\/p>\n

It took four days to completely install the grass, according to Wilson, and since there will not be any Major League Soccer matches played until after the tournament, the field should be easier to maintain.<\/p>\n

Sign up for our free newsletters and receive unparalleled coverage of Atlanta\u2019s African American community in your inbox.<\/p>\n

The grass field will be a change for any soccer fams used to watching Major League Soccer club Atlanta United<\/a> on it\u2019s home turf. Pun intended. In order to make the playing surface acceptable for the eight World Cup matches that will be played in Atlanta this summer, the grass had to be suitable for the highest level of play. Leonel Messi would be proud. <\/p>\n

The grass from Kentucky, the sod however, is from Colorado. The combination mixed with the (air) conditions inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium will help keep the surface ready for whatever the World Cup clubs have to offer. <\/p>\n

The grass was tested in Tennessee, it will be perfect for World Cup play, says London-born Wilson. \u201cI\u2019m very confident that this will be a perfect playing surface,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really, really top level stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atlanta will host matches in every round with the exception of the quarterfinals and finals, which are scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.<\/p>\n

\"\"Atlanta will be home for matches in all of the rounds of the FIFA World Cup except the quarterfinals and finals, which will take place at MetLife Stadum in New Jersey on July 19. Photo by Donnell Suggs\/The Atlanta Voice<\/p>\n

Something for everyone:<\/p>\n

There will be mobile sensory rooms available at all World Cup venues, according to Bev Carter, FIFA Host City Director, Atlanta. The sensory rooms are presented by Hisense<\/a>. <\/p>\n

There will be at least one room available, and in Atlanta, the sensory room was located in the Home Depot Backyard on Thursday. It\u2019s proximity to the stairs, outdoor escalator, and entrance will make the quiet space most accessible to guests.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWe really hope this city embraces this opportunity,\u201d Carter said.<\/p>\n

\"\"There will be a mobile sensory room at every FIFA World Cup site. Photo by Donnell Suggs\/The Atlanta Voice<\/p>\n

Preserve Our Legacy, Power Our Future<\/p>\n

For 60 years, The Atlanta Voice has been a trusted source for news that matters to our community. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on your support to continue delivering impactful stories that uplift, inform, and inspire. Donate today and help us preserve our legacy while shaping the future of Black media.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your Support Keeps Us Strong The Atlanta Voice has stood as a pillar of truth, empowerment, and advocacy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20951],"tags":[22734,6323,22735,22736,20759,22737,15425,22738,22739,22740,3622,22741,22742],"class_list":["post-19581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mercedes-benz","tag-arsenal-football-club","tag-atlanta","tag-atlanta-united","tag-donell-suggs-the-atlanta-voice","tag-fifa","tag-fifa-club-world-cup","tag-grass","tag-kentucky-blue-grass","tag-leonel-messi","tag-major-league-soccer","tag-mercedes-benz","tag-mercedes-benz-stadium","tag-stuart-wilson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}