HOUSTON — Dan Bergstrom is serving as Houston’s official pitch consultant for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, overseeing natural grass installation and maintenance at Shell Energy Stadium and Houston Stadium ahead of the first match on June 14. He is also the Director of Grounds for the Houston Dynamo and Dash.

Bergstrom played a key role in Houston’s successful bid to become a host city, helping convince FIFA that natural grass could be installed inside Reliant Stadium—renamed Houston Stadium for the tournament. The grass for the World Cup pitch is being grown in Denver and will be transported to Houston for installation.

At Shell Energy Stadium, Bergstrom oversees every detail of pitch preparation, including painting lines and repairing worn patches of turf. He plans to monitor the pitches at both stadiums daily through the end of the tournament. Houston will host seven World Cup matches, beginning with Germany versus Curaçao in Group E on June 14.

"We work an early day and a long day. We start here at 6 a.m. There’s multiple decisions every day we make to deliver the best possible result for our teams," Bergstrom said. "I’ve been proud to be part of it, and of course, we’re in it right now as we speak."

Bergstrom has worked with the Houston Dynamo and Dash for a decade and has more than 30 years of experience maintaining professional and collegiate playing fields. A native of Ames, Iowa, he studied horticulture at Iowa State University.