Real grass now installed at BC Place for FIFA World Cup
BC Place is beginning to look World Cup-ready, as FIFA prepares to take control of the stadium.
That will happen on Thursday, BC Place general manager Chris May told reporters.
A new video board has been installed, while renovations have been made to dressing rooms and hospitality spaces. But the most talked about change concerns the playing surface.
A natural grass surface is now in place and will be for all seven Vancouver matches, which span from June 13 to July 7.
Installation of the Abbotsford-grown grass took about two weeks, with the last piece laid down on Saturday.
“The last Whitecaps game of the season happened on the 25th of April… immediately after that game, the hard floor was laid down, the concert floor was laid down, some protective material was laid down, and then the dirt started getting brought in. That grass pitch sits about 18 inches above the turf, so that’s still all under there,” said May.
Grow lights sit above the new natural grass playing surface (Kenny Ho/Daily Hive)
In an effort to keep the grass growing, even when the stadium roof is closed, grow lights are in place, as are watering and vacuum ventilation systems.
It remains to be seen if the roof will be allowed to be open for matches during the tournament. It was open when reporters got a tour of the stadium on Tuesday.
“What we know from FIFA is the thing that is more important than anything is the quality of the pitch, so that’s what they’ll look at,” May said. “I imagine it will be weather, humidity, wind, the potential for rain, all of those things, and they’ll make a decision on what they want to do.”
Will the roof be open for matches? (Kenny Ho/Daily Hive)
The field of play is entirely natural, but beyond the sidelines, there is still some artificial turf present.
That’s natural grass on the top, and artificial turf below (Kenny Ho/Daily Hive)
We’re now less than one month before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, beginning with a pair of matches on June 11 in Mexico. Toronto will host Canada’s first match on June 12, while Vancouver sees its first action on June 13.
Five group stage matches will take place in Vancouver, including a pair of matches featuring Canada. Vancouver will also host two knockout round matches, in the Round of 32 and the Round of 16.