The $9bn pitch built for Ronaldo’s last World Cup – ‘Forever’ grass, artificial sunlight and closed roof

It is only the best for Cristiano Ronaldo in what could be the final World Cup for the international football star.

Cold-climate grass will be flown in from Colorado and glowing ‘grow’ lights from the Netherlands will help produce a new pitch for Ronaldo, who will lead Portugal vs DR Congo on June 17 at Houston Stadium.

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Ronaldo will play under closed roof in World Cup

The 72,000-seat capacity venue will feature a closed roof and the inside temperature will be set to a perfect 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22.2 Celsius).

But the new ‘forever’ grass could be ripped out just days after the last 2026 FIFA World Cup match is played inside the normal home of the NFL‘s Houston Texans.

“We’re building a grass pitch in that stadium as though it’s been there forever and as though it’s going to be there forever,” Chris Canetti, president of the Houston World Cup Host Committee, exclusively told talkSPORT.

The fourth-largest city in America is scheduled to host seven World Cup matches inside NRG Stadium from June 14 through July 4, including two knockout contests.

Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Curacao, Congo DR, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia are set to pursue the FIFA World Cup trophy inside a multi-purpose venue that sits next to the vacant Astrodome, cost $325 million to build in 2002 and could require a $1.4 billion renovation.

“It’s a great stadium. There wasn’t too much work that needed to be done,” said Canetti, who previously served as the president of MLS’ Houston Dynamo.

Except for a couple critical to-do list items at the core of a World Cup that could bring in $9 billion in revenue but has been shadowed by overpriced tickets and travel issues, including an award-winning referee being barred from attendance.

While NFL players campaign for grass fields in all 32 NFL stadiums, FIFA required the installation of the player-friendly surface in its American World Cup venues that will include Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots), Lumen Field (Seattle Seahawks) and SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Rams and Chargers).

New pitch widened by removing seats

“In the previous editions of the World Cup, whether it’s in Qatar or Russia or Brazil or South Africa, a lot of the stadiums were built from scratch,” Canetti said.

“When the stadiums are built from scratch, they’re built right to the FIFA spec book, right, so they are compliant with FIFA from day one. 

How World Cup pitch is created in NFL stadium

• Cold-climate grass from Colorado
• Growing glow lights from Netherlands to replicate sunlight
• Sub-air ventilation
• Irrigation system
• 22-inch sand base
• Sod grown and rooted before first match (Germany vs Curacao on June 14)
• Roof closed for World Cup matches in Houston
• Temperature inside stadium set to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22.2 Celsius)
• Seats removed to widen the pitch area and make field FIFA compliant

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“We haven’t built any stadiums here in the United States, Mexico or Canada. In particularly in the United States, we’re using NFL-built stadiums, so they don’t meet the FIFA spec book. They’re great, awesome spectacles of venues. But the work needs to be done to bring them up to FIFA code. 

“We had to make a major renovation this past summer where we took out some seats to widen the pitch area to make sure that there was enough pitch width for FIFA. If you were to go over to the stadium right now, you would see us installing the grass pitch.”

NRG Stadium is built upon a concrete floor, which allows it to bounce between everything from the NFL to an all-encompassing annual rodeo.

“The surface is brought in for whatever the event is,” Canetti said.

Artificial lights and ‘comfortable’ temperature

“If it’s an NFL game, they’re bringing in the artificial turf. If it’s an NCAA basketball game, they’re bringing in a hardwood floor. If it’s Disney on Ice, they’re bringing in ice. And if it’s the rodeo, they’re bringing in dirt.”

To build a temporary NFL-turned-World Cup pitch good enough for Ronaldo, Virgil van Dijk and some of the best football players on the planet, sub-air ventilation and an irrigation system will be employed.

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NRG Stadium’s roof will also keep out the scorching Texas summer heat, while the inside temperature will be set to “very comfortable.”

“There’s a 22-inch sand base,” Canetti said.

“The sod will go on. It’ll be grown and rooted well before the first game. 

“The roof will stay closed because it’s a cold climate grass that’s actually coming in from Colorado, and we will use these grow lights to artificially produce sunlight. The grow lights have come from the Netherlands, so a lot of technology and science goes behind this.”

Ronaldo can silence critics in Houston

For the 41-year-old Ronaldo, there’s also hope.

The Al-Nassr star also serves as Portugal’s captain and is battling rival Lionel Messi for football’s GOAT title.

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While critics insist that his country is better with Ronaldo off the pitch, a ‘forever’ field in Houston could help lead the fifth-ranked team in the world to the World Cup final.

“If a fan were to come into that stadium and not know any better — or even a player, hopefully — it’ll look like that grass pitch has been there for the entirety of the stadium’s life and as though it’s going to stay there forever,” Canetti said.

“Even though probably two days after the event is over, we unfortunately have to tear it out.” 

All 104 games at the 2026 World Cup this summer will be live on talkSPORT, talkSPORT 2 and the talkSPORT app.

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