Relentless rain leaves Brasileirão pitches saturated as stadiums seek fixes | OneFootball

More than two months of relentless rain in southern and southeastern Brazil is degrading Série A pitches and forcing rapid adaptation, in regions that host 85% of top-flight clubs.

According to Globo.com, saturation is cutting drainage and root oxygenation, leaving turf fragile underfoot. World Sports chief Roberto Gomide said damage spikes when rain outpaces drainage, with softer profiles, divots and deformation.

Agronomist Maristela Kuhn said heavy rain promotes algae and loosened turf and, without sun, recovery stalls. Her office has been hired by the Maracanã consortium to help restore the pitch after deterioration partly linked to recent weather.

Rain fell on 46% of matches in July and August 2026, with August totals up 208% year on year and higher temperatures reducing grass activity. A warmer, wetter winter left thinner swards and kept heavy machinery off the pitch.

On Friday, Coritiba and Athletico-PR played at Couto Pereira on a waterlogged surface after rain began four hours before kick-off. Referee Wagner do Nascimento Magalhães consulted Fernando Seabra and Odair Hellmann, yet it finished 3-3.

Inmet records show extreme rain is becoming more frequent in the South and Southeast. São Paulo has had 253.8 millimetres, its wettest September since 1943. Forecasters expect continued instability, and climatologist Francisco Eliseu Aquino linked warming to harsher downpours.

Clubs and venues are weighing upgrades, from drainage and hybrid grass to aeration and sensors. Arena Fonte Nova, Beira-Rio and Arena do Grêmio use vacuum systems. The CBF has begun a stadium review, with reports due to clubs in October.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”