You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.John Sorochan, the head of the yearslong FIFA Pitch Research Project, is “always looking at the pitch in some way,” he said. “If a player slips or falls, I’m, like, What was the cause?”Credit...Steven Bridges/University of TennesseeJohn Sorochan, a turf scientist at the University of Tennessee, has led the yearslong, multimillion-dollar effort to develop perfect playing fields for the 2026 World Cup.John Sorochan, the head of the yearslong FIFA Pitch Research Project, is “always looking at the pitch in some way,” he said. “If a player slips or falls, I’m, like, What was the cause?”Credit...Steven Bridges/University of TennesseeBy Alan BurdickAlan Burdick is a science editor and reporter.June 14, 2026Imagine the world’s best soccer field: blade-perfect natural grass, fit for the likes of Lionel Messi and Vinicius Jr. and capable of withstanding nearly 40 days and 40 nights of top-level wear and tear.Now imagine creating 16 such fields, for 16 stadiums each with its own climate: in Toronto; in Guadalajara; indoors and air-conditioned; outdoors in pouring rain or the blazing sun; some with artificial turf already in place.
Now make the playing experience effectively identical from one to the next. Don’t disappoint Messi!Where to begin?Start, as FIFA did, by tapping John Sorochan, an expert in turf grass science and management at the University of Tennessee. Since 2018 Dr. Sorochan, in collaboration with John “Trey” Rogers at Michigan State University, has led the FIFA Pitch Research Project, a multimillion-dollar effort to level the playing fields of the 2026 World Cup to a flawless consistency. (Dr.
Rogers, a former professor to Dr. Sorochan, is known to some as the Sodfather.)Dr. Sorochan spoke to The Times a few days before the tournament opened on June 11. The fields were safely in place, and all that was left was “crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s,” he said. “The light at the end of the tunnel is no longer a bear holding a candle.”This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.Did you grow up playing soccer?Yeah, I’m a lifelong fan and player.
I grew up in Calgary, Alberta. My boys played and still do. I like Chelsea and the English Premier League. But I’ve become good friends with a lot of the field managers, so I’m an Arsenal fan, too.Are you able to watch a match for the actual game, or is some part of your eye always assessing the pitch?It’s a little of both.
I’m always looking at the pitch in some way. If a player slips or falls, I’m like, What was the cause?Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?
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