The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than a month away, and Philadelphia is one of the host cities for the biggest sporting event on the planet.
Lincoln Financial Field has a perfect pitch. The Linc will host six World Cup matches with the first on June 14. On Wednesday, CBS News Philadelphia got a first-hand look at the transformation of the field from the pitch to the signage.
“We are most excited about being able to showcase Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field for the world,” Meg Kane, host city executive and CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, said.
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Lincoln Financial Field was designed for hosting world-class events.
“When we built Lincoln Financial Field, one of the things that we made a promise to the city and state is that we would bring large-scale events, worldwide events here,” Frank Gumienny, chief operating officer of the Philadelphia and chief tournament officer of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, said.
The transformation includes altering the field corners for soccer corner kicks, meeting FIFA’s required dimensions and installing the pitch.
CBS News Philadelphia
“This is Kentucky bluegrass. It’s a hybrid — it’s a reinforced fiber system,” Eagles vice president of grounds Tony Leonard said. “Working with our partner Tuckahoe [Turf Farms] over in Hammonton, we’ll have a staff of 10 on just a day-to-day level working on this pitch and then when we get up leading into the tournament, we’ll have a pool of about 30.”
And you can’t miss the bird’s eye view of the signage inside and outside the Linc, showing off the Philly pride with a “We are Philadelphia” centerpiece.
CBS News Philadelphia
“We felt that coming out of the bid that many, especially globally, didn’t have a very good understanding of Philadelphia,” Kane said. “And so really trying to embrace the ‘We are Philadelphia’ to convey our authenticity and what makes us different.”
The last of the six games played on the beautiful pitch at the Linc will be a Round of 16 match on the Fourth of July.
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