Palmeiras set for Allianz Parque return as squad hail new synthetic pitch as Brazil’s best | OneFootball

Palmeiras are set for their 2026 Allianz Parque bow on Sunday at 18:30 Brasília time, hosting Mirassol on a newly installed synthetic pitch. Players said the surface absorbs impacts better and feels softer than before.

"It was mainly that, it is a very soft pitch, very good. Barueri’s synthetic was very good too, but this really is much better, we had only a few minutes on it, yet you can tell it is a very high standard," said Andreas Pereira, speaking to ge.

The squad trained at the arena on Tuesday to familiarise themselves with the changes. In a club video, Felipe Anderson and Lucas Evangelista called it the best pitch in Brazil, and Bruno Fuchs praised the upgrade.

The redesign uses a seventh generation system with advances to the shock pad, the cork infill and the grass fibres. There is an expectation that impact absorption will be closer to natural turf, and drainage and colour have also been updated.

Work began last year, so Palmeiras have not played at home this season, instead logging nine games at Arena Crefisa Barueri with eight wins and one draw. "I missed playing there, Barueri is very good too, but playing at Allianz is different," Andreas added.

Cork, an organic infill valued for thermal insulation, was adopted after criticism of a sticky residue from the previous thermoplastic infill, which melted in high heat. The new pitch cost R$ 11 million, funded by Palmeiras and WTorre, with Soccer Grass installing and maintaining it.

Source: Globo.com