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Argentina forward Lionel Messi celebrates June 27 after scoring on a free kick during the second half of a World Cup Group J soccer match against Jordan in Arlington.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
ARLINGTON \u2013 The World Cup is over. So is its grass.<\/p>\n
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More than 10,000 square yards of natural turf<\/a>, pampered with grow lights, climate control and years of planning, will be removed from AT&T Stadium. The Dallas Cowboys say the grass will not be preserved, though the sand and soil beneath it will be reused.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just any field. Soccer\u2019s biggest stars, including Argentina\u2019s Lionel\u00a0Messi, Portugal\u2019s Cristiano Ronaldo and Norway\u2019s Erling Haaland, danced and dribbled across it during the stadium\u2019s nine World Cup matches.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n FIFA handed control of the stadium back to the Cowboys after\u00a0Tuesday\u2019s semifinal<\/a>, leaving the team to decide the field\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n \u201cThe grass will die,\u2019\u2019 the team said Wednesday by email, ending days of conflicting responses about whether it might find a second life elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cThe soil \/ sand of it will still be good and utilized in a future project,\u201d according to the Cowboys\u2019 email. Asked where it will be stored and when crews will begin removing the turf, the team responded, \u201cTBD.\u201d<\/p>\n The pink glow of specialized LED grow lights illuminates freshly laid sod inside of AT&T Stadium, May 14, 2026. The lights are designed to stimulate photosynthesis and accelerate growth.<\/p>\n Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n That answer resolved what had become a surprisingly murky question.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Last week, Joe Trahan, director of communications for North Texas\u2019 FIFA World Cup organizing committee, said in an email that the grass and other materials could be used in future construction projects.<\/p>\n In an email Monday to The Dallas Morning News, he said the stadium and the Cowboys would try to \u201cstockpile the grass.\u201d<\/p>\n He said it would be used for \u201cbackfill,\u201d without explaining what that meant or where the material would go. Trahan said grass would be \u201csifted through\u201d to take out the plastic yarns reinforcing the grass, which could make it difficult to replant.<\/p>\n He said crews with bobcats, heavy excavators and trucks would likely spend a week removing the grass.<\/p>\n Wednesday, outside AT&T Stadium, Trahan told The News he had \u201cno idea\u201d about the Cowboys’ plans. He described the grass as a \u201cFIFA product\u201d and said the international soccer body would decide what to do with it.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Specialized LED grow lights illuminate the World Cup pitch inside AT&T Stadium on May 13, 2026. The system was part of the extensive effort to maintain FIFA’s natural grass playing surface.<\/p>\n Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Trahan said AT&T Stadium general manager Tod Martin was not available for interviews and Martin did not respond to phone calls.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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