A HARDEN company will be a major player in ensuring pitches are up to standard at football's 2026 World Cup.

Sports turf firm STRI, based at the St Ives estate, is part of a new consortium launched to help prepare playing surfaces ahead of the tournament – being hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The company has now provided support at every FIFA World Cup since 2010.

Under the new partnership, the Elite Pitch Alliance, STRI will help host-nation venues – both stadia and training facilities – offer pitches which meet the exacting standards set down by world football's governing body.

Between them, STRI and fellow alliance members – DA Hogan & Associates and Sports Fields Inc – have decades of experience in the design, construction and maintenance of sports facilities.

Andrew Brooker, commercial director for the STRI Group, said: "This is an exciting step forward for the development of World Cup venues throughout Canada, the USA and Mexico – enabling facilities to provide world-class surfaces for this prestigious event.

"We are very pleased to have partnered with DA Hogan & Associates and Sports Fields Inc, companies which share our vision of delivering excellence in sports surfaces across a multitude of sectors."

The fellow organisations also welcome the new collaboration.

Dave Anderson, for DA Hogan & Associates, said: "Our alliance uniquely combines extensive World Cup and NFL playing field experience.

"We are very excited to be collaborating to provide FIFA-compliant pitches of the highest quality for the 2026 World Cup. In addition, we will be ensuring that NFL venues are fully restored with the appropriate surface for the 2026 season."

Mark Stalnaker, president and chief executive officer of Sports Fields Inc, said: "This collaboration opens up a unique opportunity to bring the best in business to the table for a common goal – to design, build and maintain world-class surfaces for the World Cup.

"We are tremendously excited to build upon our portfolio of successful projects and use that experience to support the selected venues in preparing for a generational opportunity."

STRI – which was founded in 1929 – has successfully installed over 180 stadium pitches in 30 countries for football tournaments including the World Cup and European Championships, plus the Olympic Games.

In 2019, the group opened a design and consultancy office in Hong Kong as part of continued global expansion and it quickly secured major contracts.