FIFA's Wenger promises better pitch quality at 2026 World Cup
Los Angeles FC midfielder Igor Jesus walks by a FIFA sign as players from Chelsea and Los Angeles FC are introduced before a Club World Cup Group D soccer match in Atlanta, Monday, June 16, 2025. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
FIFA's Global Football Development chief Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the quality of pitches hosting Club World Cup matches in the U.S. was not good enough, but insisted it would be better when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup.
The pitches, often very dry and sprinkled with water during cooling breaks or at halftime, have been widely criticized, mainly by coaches and players of the European teams taking part.
'I've been personally on the pitch at Orlando,' former Arsenal manager Wenger said on Saturday. 'It's not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it's not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.'
Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique raised the issue early in the expanded Club World Cup tournament.
'The ball bounces like a rabbit,' Luis Enrique said after his team's opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid.
'Today, for example, the field used to be artificial turf, and now it's natural grass laid over it, which means it has to be watered manually. It's a big problem for the way we play.'
'FIFA really needs to take this seriously. Not just the stadium fields but also the training pitches. If we're calling this the best club tournament in the world, it should have world‑class facilities. I can't imagine an NBA game played on a court full of holes.'
Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ed Osmond
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