The agenda of synthetic lawns It’s a subject that has invaded sports news. Although it is not unanimous among players and even managers, artificial turf is increasingly present in the structure of Brazilian football clubs. In 2026, the Brasileirão Series A will have six teams using the synthetic surface in their home matches, a record number. In the training centers of the teams participating in Series A and B, this reality is no different.
Currently, 22 of the 40 first and second division teams have alternative artificial turf pitches and, soon, four more will join the group: Botafogo, Athletic, Ferroviária and Paysandu are building artificial turf pitches. Among the teams participating in Serie A, only Internacional and Vasco have not installed artificial turf in the CT.
Juventude recently inaugurated the first synthetic pitch at its Athletes and Citizens Training Center (CFAC), in Caxias do Sul, a structure available to youth teams and the main squad. The pitch features state-of-the-art technology and has received FIFA Quality Pro certification, the highest certification awarded by world football’s governing body.
“We have taken another fundamental step in our structural growth process. Within the framework of strict budgetary control, we have spared no effort to offer the best to our athletes and the technical committee. We have progressed in several sectors, investing in equipment and training, and the inauguration of this synthetic field, equivalent to the best in the world, is a matter of great pride,” said Fábio Pizzamiglio, president of Juventude.
Santos is another Serie A club that completed the construction of an artificial turf pitch in 2025. The black and white beach club this week completed the installation of the pitch with the Fifa Quality Pro label, which serves as an adaptation for games on synthetic pitches.
“It is essential to improve working conditions by investing in the structure in different areas of the club. The installation of the synthetic field is important for us in order to enhance our heritage and to be able to offer the technical committee and the players the necessary conditions to carry out all our activities with the best available technology,” says Marcelo Teixeira, president of Santos.
In Series B, Cuiabá completed work on pitch 4, at CT Manoel Dresch, which uses synthetic turf, Fifa Quality Pro, a model identical to that used by Chelsea, of England, on one of its training grounds.
“We continue with a solid project of growth and strengthening of the football department. This field with synthetic turf with international standards increases our training capacity and will help us adapt to certain types of surfaces used in some stadiums in Brazil. This is another investment that guarantees quality, safety and efficiency for our daily life in CT”, highlights Cristiano Dresch, president of Cuiabá.
More recently, Botafogo-SP inaugurated a synthetic turf pitch at the Botafogo Academy, a new training center for the club’s youth categories with an estimated investment of R$25 million. The pitch has received the FIFA Quality Pro label and is ready for use.
According to Sergio Schildt, president of Recoma, a company that has installed more than two million square meters of synthetic turf and specialized in sports infrastructure for more than 46 years, synthetic turf is a more viable solution for several clubs, due to climatic problems in certain regions of the country, in addition to requiring a lower maintenance investment compared to natural turf.
“Scientifically, it has been proven that high-quality synthetic turf has a similar structure to natural turf. In fact, it has been introduced by at least 30 tests, such as drainage, flatness, geometry, trim, ball roll, bounce and ball slip. Another important factor is that the maintenance of natural turf is 10 times more expensive than that of synthetic turf,” adds Schildt.
However, in Europe, clubs and leagues are leading a strong campaign to ban the use of synthetic materials less and less. This season, the Netherlands banned matches on 100% artificial pitches under pressure from players’ unions who alleged problems with the way the ball rolled and because they were more vulnerable to injury.
Major international leagues such as the top division in England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Portugal also do not hold matches in stadiums covered entirely with artificial turf.
For their part, the Young Boys of Switzerland, a club which participates in the Champions League, uses artificial turf at Stadion Wankdorf, the stadium where they host their matches. The decision depends on the influence of the weather on the matches, due to constant snowfall in Switzerland.
UEFA allows the use of artificial turf in all competitive matches except the final. The pitch must have the FIFA Quality Pro certificate, valid for the entire competition and the home club is responsible for obtaining all guarantees regarding pitch maintenance and security measures for the match.
In terms of post-match and training recovery, experts also highlight whether synthetic turf has a negative impact on athletes’ recovery time compared to natural turf and whether there is a significant difference in the care athletes need to take with the two types of pitch.
“There is little scientific data, to date, that has studied the differences in physical performance of football players on artificial and natural turf. Recent research has shown that in matches played on artificial turf, defenders, midfielders and full-backs covered a greater total distance and performed more runs at medium and high speed (sprints) compared to matches that took place on natural turf”, explains Fabrício Rapello, specialist sports physiotherapist at the National Society of Physiotherapy of Sport and Physical Activity (Sonafe Brasil) and who worked at Santos for four years.
“Defenders, defensive midfielders and attackers (wingers) performed more total acceleration and deceleration actions on the synthetic pitch than on the natural pitch. Technicians and physical trainers plan and execute adequate physical training so that athletes can withstand the greater physical demand inherent in matches played on synthetic turf,” adds Rapello.
Clubs with artificial turf fields in CT
Atlético-MG, Bahia, Ceará, Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Fluminense, Fortaleza, Grêmio, Juventude, Mirassol, Palmeiras, Red Bull Bragantino, Santos, São Paulo, Sport, Vitória, Athletico Paranaense, Avaí, Botafogo-SP, CRB, Coritiba and Cuiabá.
Clubs with artificial turf under construction in CT
Botafogo, Athletic, Ferroviária and Paysandu.
Clubs without synthetic fields in CT
Internacional, Vasco, Amazonas, América-MG, Atlético-GO, Chapecoense, Criciúma, Goiás, Novorizontino, Operário, Remo, Vila Nova and Volta Redonda.
About The Author
