This is the reason why 2018 World Cup final will use the grass field.

Do you know that lawns can include both natural and artificial grass? And each of these elements has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The more we learn, the more we see too many factors affecting a football match. And this time it's about grass.

Known in the 2018 World Cup, FIFA for the first time allowed Russia to use the "hybrid" lawn - a combination of natural grass and artificial grass - in 6 out of 12 stadiums.

These are the Samara, Kaliningrad, Saransk, Rostov, Spartak and especially the Luzhniki stadium - where the finals will take place. Behind FIFA's decision to change this pitch there is a lot to discuss.

First, how is "artificial grass" and how beneficial is it?

In English, "grass" means "artificial turf" can be interpreted as artificial grass. But sometimes, FIFA often calls them "football turf" - football field.

(left) and close-up artificial grass (right).

Artificial grass is made from synthetic fibers. It began to draw worldwide attention in the 1960s, with the first stadium to be used as the famous Astrodome in Texas, USA.

Astrodome is a multi-purpose stadium. And the original artificial grass also applied first for baseball, rugby, hockey . before spreading to football.

So far, 3 generations of artificial grass have been used:

• The first generation in the 1960s: short grass fiber and no lining layer attached.
• Second generation: longer strands of grass and underneath the soil
• Third Generation (3G): is the type of grass that FIFA allows to apply on current football fields; With long grass fibers, the lining includes soil and a mixture of recycled rubber granules.

Classes of FIFA standard artificial turf from outside to inside: grass fiber, rubber seed liner, soil, heat system, background

The advantage of artificial grass is that it can withstand strong impacts, no need to water or prune. The indoor stadiums, or covered dome, especially favor artificial grass. Because if you plant natural grass, there is not enough sunlight for them to grow well.

Moreover, for example, the 2018 World Cup in Russia requires the construction and renovation of a series of stadiums in a rather urgent time, natural grass will . not grow up.

For example, the new Novgorod Stadium (the place where the battle between England and Panama will take place on June 24) has to import grass from New Zealand because the grass "home" has not yet taken root!

However, artificial grasses also exist limitations such as having a certain "life expectancy" - cannot be used forever, periodic cleaning is quite complicated. In addition, ultra-small plastic particles used in manufacturing and installation can be harmful to the soil environment, even the water environment.

Artificial turf yard is easy to cause abrasions.

The artificial turf field is also easy to cause scratches, absorbs heat so it is very hot, hard ground should affect the path of the ball. And if the joint between the grasses is not properly arranged, it is easy to cause injury.

In the past, artificial grass used to make many players worry. David Beckham, for example, said in 2007: "All matches, all teams should use natural grass, no need to argue!".

"Hybrid" lawn at this year's World Cup

After much research and testing, FIFA has bravely applied artificial grass right now in the largest football cup on the planet but only a small part.

Specifically, the final match at the Luzhniki stadium consists of 95% natural grass and only 5% artificial grass (as announced by the executor - SIS Pitches from Ireland).

Although the proportion of artificial grass is not much, it shows the " reputation" of FIFA, contributing to encourage clubs around the world to use new grass to replace natural grass when needed, easy to manage. and bring higher economic benefits.

On the other hand, every official playing field must be confirmed by FIFA, undergoing 4 strict inspection steps:

Four steps to being recognized by FIFA are qualified grass fields.

• Step 1: Check in the laboratory.
• Step 2: Installation.
• Step 3: Experiment in the yard.
• Step 4: Obtain FIFA certification and maintain and periodically check.

Will the "hybrid" grass, artificial grass still raise any controversy or will the future of the stadium? Let's look forward to the 2018 World Cup kicking off this hot summer!