Ban on Installing Ground Seats from 2025
IU Concert Remains Unchanged... Organizers Also Join in Protecting the Grass
Starting next year, when Seoul World Cup Stadium is rented out for purposes other than soccer matches, such as performances, seats will not be allowed to be installed on the ground (grass) area.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Facilities Management Corporation announced on the 14th that they will implement this special measure to protect the grass at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Accordingly, from 2025, rental for cultural events such as singer concerts will only be permitted on the condition that ground seats are not sold.
The Seoul city officials stated, “We have done our best to protect the grass by introducing hybrid turf, implementing a smart turf management system using IoT (Internet of Things) technology, and establishing a rapid recovery system by securing reserve supplies for replanting,” adding, “Due to recent record-breaking heatwaves and worsening abnormal weather conditions, it has become difficult to maintain normal ground conditions, so we decided to change the rental policy.”
Seoul city added, “We also considered a complete ban on renting for cultural events such as concerts, but since there is demand for concert viewing and currently no large venues in Seoul that can accommodate more than 20,000 spectators, we decided to allow partial rental excluding the sale of ground seats.”
This measure follows criticism about the poor condition of the grass after the World Cup regional qualifier against Palestine held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th.
Son Heung-min shows his disappointment after the match against Palestine in the third round of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup qualifiers held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Earlier, Son Heung-min, captain of the national soccer team, mentioned the grass condition issue at Seoul World Cup Stadium after the match against Palestine, saying, “There are many technically skilled players, but there were difficulties in ball control and dribbling,” and “Fans must have been disappointed as we couldn’t play a fast-tempo game.”
Markram Daboub, coach of the Palestinian national team, also said, “The grass condition at Seoul World Cup Stadium was not 100%, so we tried very hard to adapt.”
Furthermore, in an interview immediately after the away qualifier match against Oman held in Muscat five days later, he criticized the management of the Seoul stadium, saying, “It is somewhat fortunate that the condition of the away stadium was better.”
Meanwhile, some soccer fans filed complaints demanding the cancellation of IU’s concerts scheduled for the 21st and 22nd of this month at Seoul World Cup Stadium. However, the concerts will proceed as planned. The city reportedly considered that canceling the event could cause significant losses to the organizers since about 100,000 tickets had already been sold out.
The event organizers also recognized the importance of protecting the grass and agreed to participate in measures to protect it, such as not installing temporary stages on the ground.
Additionally, considering that the grass at Seoul World Cup Stadium is a ‘Hanji-type turf’ that grows well in cool places, Seoul city plans to consult with related organizations to refrain from using the turf during the summer season to prepare for heatwaves like this year.
Seoul city stated, “Due to record-breaking heat in summer, the turf density dropped to about 60%,” but added, “We expect the density to recover once temperatures return to normal levels. We will do our best to restore it in time for next month’s national team A-match games.”
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