FIFA's CWC is critical to avoid World Cup pitch 'disaster'

Copy Link

Email

Print

When the United States hosted the Copa América -- a prestigious competition featuring the best national teams from North and South America -- last summer, it was expected to be an appetizer before the main course, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted alongside Mexico and Canada.

But instead of inspiring excitement, the competition left behind concerns over the quality of pitches available stateside, with players decrying "disaster" fields and organizer CONMEBOL publicly defending those surfaces. Now, questions linger about whether the U.S. is ready for the World Cup, and FIFA is using this summer's Club World Cup to find answers.

For the first time, the newly reformatted,…