When you’re preparing for the biggest soccer tournament on the planet, every detail matters—including the grass beneath your players’ feet. Germany’s national team knows this better than most, which is why they’ve brought in Sebastian Breuning, the German soccer association’s groundskeeping coordinator since 2022, to personally oversee their training pitch at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The move speaks volumes about the challenge unfolding across the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This tournament, which kicks off Thursday and spans the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, isn’t just another summer competition—it’s happening under conditions that forced FIFA to take an unprecedented step. For the first time in World Cup history, the organization has mandated three-minute hydration breaks in each half for all 104 matches, a direct response to the scorching temperatures that wreaked havoc on last year’s Club World Cup held in the U.S.
Breuning’s presence at Wake Forest isn’t ceremonial. He’s been spotted actively tending to the heavily watered pitch alongside local staff after Tuesday’s training session, battling the hot and humid weather to keep the surface playable. Germany’s national team director Rudi Voeller acknowledged the reality frankly to German newspaper Bild: “Yes, it needs water. That’s the problem with these temperatures, for drinking and also on the pitch.” But he also praised the effort being invested: “The people here are going to incredible lengths. It’s great to see how much help is being given… the conditions are quite good. We’ve got nothing to complain about.”
Germany will kick off their Group E campaign against Curacao on Sunday, and they’ll do so knowing their training ground has been maintained to exacting standards. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes precision that separates contenders from the rest—and in a tournament shaped by heat and humidity, that edge could matter more than anyone expects.
