Hundreds of tons of grass seed flown in from US to fulfil stadiums and 136 training grounds in Qatar

For the most lavish and controversial World Cup of our time, no expense has been spared to meet the most basic requirements for a major football tournament: the pitches.

With a global audience focused on Qatar from November 20, the last thing organizers need is for superstars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to be unable to entertain a global audience due to dodgy surfaces.

Between May and September, temperatures in the Gulf average over 100 degrees, complicating common turf growth to say the least.

That is why millions of seeds have been imported, dozens of staff are employed and a large acreage has been installed with backup fields in case one of the main stadiums needs to be relocated at short notice.

The fine detail of the operation is matched only by the staggering numbers.

Hundreds of tons of grass seed have been imported from the United States on climate-controlled aircraft to meet the needs of eight stadium fields — seven of which are new — and 136 training grounds.

Each new field needed 50,000 liters of desalinated seawater per day in the summer

“The playing surface would not coexist without the right grass seed due to the climate and conditions in Qatar,” said David Graham of Aspire Turf, the company responsible.

Each new field needed 50,000 liters of desalinated seawater per day in the summer — more than enough to choke environmentalists on the excess.

Groundsmen created wintry conditions in September by blowing cooled air onto the fields, making them durable enough to host the tournament in November and December.

“When you have wear and tear, you want the grass to keep growing to recover,” said Haitham Al Shareef, an experienced member of the Qatari team.

Peak temperatures are currently dropping which is good for the players but not so much for the groundskeepers who are aware that winter ryegrass can prevent the fields from regenerating.

Underground systems to reduce moisture have been used to eradicate the risk of grass fungus

Chemical cocktails and an underground system to reduce moisture have been used to eradicate the risk of grass fungus – which would turn matches into a farce.

But with the entire World Cup in Qatar estimated to cost £7bn – the most expensive in history – it’s no surprise that organizers have a plan B in case one of the pitches becomes unplayable.

On a farm north of the capital Doha, a huge field with 40 large pitches grows reserve grass.

If an SOS comes from the Khalifa International stadium, where England will play their opening game against Iran on November 21 – or one of the other grounds – Qatar promises they can set up a new ground in double the time.

‘It can be harvested, moved and set up ready to play within eight hours’, says a confident project manager Mohamed Al Atwaan.

Qatar has been preparing for this for 15 years, long before they were officially confirmed as hosts. Sowing for the current fields started three months ago.

The first test will come on November 20, when Qatar will face Ecuador in the opening match.

Aside from the pitches, this World Cup will be the first where players and supporters can benefit from air conditioning. Even as they approach winter, temperatures can reach as high as 30 degrees Celsius (86F) at some parts of the day.

Cooled air is directed in through grids in the stand and nozzles on the field. The air is sucked back, cooled again, filtered and pushed out again.

It is the brainchild of engineer Dr Saud Ghani, who is called Dr Cool. He based it on air conditioning in a car. “Only on a larger scale,” he joked.