ARLINGTON, Texas — As kickoff loomed in the 2024 Concacaf Nations League Final at AT&T Stadium, the "less than ideal" field conditions was a sticking point as part of pregame coverage.
CBS Sports host Susannah Collins, who was serving as a reporter for the Paramount+ coverage, called the field "patchy" and "a really heavy surface," a sentiment apparently shared by United States coach Gregg Berhalter.
Collins said she spoke with Berhalter one day prior to her reporting of Sunday's pregame coverage, asking him what he thought of the pitch.
"[Berhalter] kind of smiled at me and said 'you were down there ... what did you think?' obviously alluding to his displeasure with the quality of the pitch," Collins said. "But [Berhalter] said look it was bad. It took its toll on the guys. You saw them cramping up, but at the end of the day it's just something they have to play for."
Collins went on to say, according to CBS Sports reporter Nico Cantor, Concacaf has hired a "high-level field maintenance company" ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they are bringing in grass from a farm in the Dallas area.
Collins said the company will reportedly use special machinery to optimize the grass. This comes among an ongoing debate about the playing surface being used at the FIFA World Cup venues, which are mostly NFL stadiums that utilize field turf, including AT&T Stadium.
Unlike the 2024 Concacaf Nations League Final, AT&T Stadium will reportedly elevate its playing surface to meet the field dimension requirements for World Cup matches.
In order to comply with FIFA's field regulations for the World Cup, the playing surface at AT&T Stadium will be raised 15 feet from where it currently stands. Doing so will accommodate the wider dimensions required by FIFA.
Here's a look at how high the field will be raised, compared to its current state, that was put on display in 2022:
We've covered this several times over the last couple years, when it became apparent AT&T Stadium would be among the World Cup host sites, but it's worth re-upping after Sunday's schedule announcement.
While AT&T Stadium has hosted numerous soccer matches over the years, FIFA obviously will have more stringent regulations for the World Cup when it comes to the playing field dimensions.
Those regulations call for field dimensions of about 105 meters long and 68 meters across. The 68 meters across equates to about 75 yards; by comparison, a football field is 50 yards across. There's obviously space on each side of the field for sidelines, but AT&T Stadium, with seats and suites close to the field, doesn't have much wasted space.
The raised, wider field will also cut into some of the lower bowl seating at the stadium. But with more than 90,000 seats in the building, there should be plenty to go around.
The raising of the field and re-orienting of the seats will be part of $295 million in renovations that began at AT&T Stadium in January. The updates will include freshening up its premium clubs and suites, and installing new millwork and finishes, according to the Sports Business Journal. While the SBJ said the renovations were expected to start in January, the upgrades aren't expected to be completed until July 2025.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington will host a semi-final match, a round of 16 match, two round of 32 matches, and five group stage matches, bringing its total to nine matches -- the most of any site in the tournament.
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