In pregame coverage of the Concacaf Nations League Finals, CBS Sports host Susannah Fuller called the pitch “shaky” and “less than ideal”.
ARLINGTON, Texas – As the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League Finals kicked off at AT&T Stadium, “less than ideal” field conditions were a sticking point as part of the pregame coverage.
CBS Sports host Susanna Collins, who was working as a reporter for the Paramount+ coverage, called the field “unstable” and a “really heavy surface”, a sentiment apparently shared by United States coach Greg Berhalter. Was done.
Collins said he spoke to Berhalter the day before reporting Sunday’s pregame coverage and asked him what he thought about the pitch.
“(Berhalter) smiled at me and said ‘You were down there… what did you think?’ “Obviously there was a hint of his displeasure with the quality of the pitch,” Collins said. “But (Berhalter) said look, it was bad. This had an impact on people. You saw them cringe, but at the end of the day it’s something they’ve got to play for.”
Collins further said, according to CBS Sports reporter Nico Kanter, CONCACAF has hired a “high-end field maintenance company” ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they are bringing in hay from a field in the Dallas area.
Watch Greg Berhalter’s full post-match press conference:
Collins said the company will reportedly use specialized machinery to optimize the hay. This comes amid an ongoing debate about the playing surface used at FIFA World Cup venues, which are mostly NFL stadiums that use field turf, including AT&T Stadium.
Unlike the 2024 Concacaf Nations League Finals, AT&T Stadium will reportedly raise its playing surface to meet field dimension requirements for World Cup matches.
To comply with FIFA’s field rules for the World Cup, the playing surface at AT&T Stadium will be raised 15 feet from where it currently stands. Doing so would accommodate the wider dimensions required by FIFA.
Here’s a look at how high the region would be raised compared to its current state, projected in 2022:
We’ve covered this several times over the past few years when it became clear that AT&T Stadium would be one of the World Cup host venues, but it’s worth revisiting after Sunday’s event was announced.
While AT&T Stadium has hosted many soccer matches over the years, FIFA will apparently have more stringent rules for the World Cup when it comes to the dimensions of the playing field.
Those regulations require the dimensions of the field to be approximately 105 meters long and 68 meters wide. A range of 68 meters is approximately 75 yards; By comparison, a football field is 50 yards wide. Obviously there is room for the sidelines on each side of the field, but AT&T Stadium, with its seats and suites adjacent to the field, doesn’t have much wasted space.
The higher, wider field would also cut down on seating space in some of the stadium’s lower bowls. But with over 90,000 seats in the building, there should be plenty to go around.
Elevating the field and rearranging seats will be part of a $295 million renovation that began at AT&T Stadium in January. According to Sports Business Journal, the update will include refreshing its premium clubs and suites and installing new millwork and finishes. While SBJ said renovations were expected to begin in January, the upgrades are not expected to be completed until July 2025.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington will host one semifinal match, one round of 16 matches, two round of 32 matches and five group stage matches, bringing the total to nine matches – the most of any site in the tournament.
