It has been reported that groundsmen at the newly built Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Russia are in a race against the clock to have the pitch ready for the opening World Cup game at the stadium on June 18 when Sweden face South Korea.

Nizhny Novgorod Stadium

Grass planted last autumn under the open sky did not take root and replacement grass is not expected to be grown in time. A contingency plan has been organised to fly in fresh turf from New Zealand to patch it up, The Daily Star reported.

Vladimir Bulanov, a deputy of Nizhny Novgorod's legislative assembly, is quoted by the paper saying, "I'm not sure that the grass, which will need to play in two-and-a-half months, will be ready by the deadline.

"Most likely a miracle will not happen and the case may end with the urgent importation of a lawn from New Zealand and laying it with squares just before the matches," he said.

The 45,000 capacity stadium in Nizhny Novgorod is scheduled to host four pool matches at the World Cup, including England's Group G game against Panama on June 24, and two knockout games.