FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

Case Study: Nationwide truss infrastructure, temporary architecture, and staging across 14 tournament locations

Built Across the Country

For the FIFA World Cup 2026, Smartstage worked with Astound to support large-scale activations for Bank of America and Coca-Cola across 14 tournament-related locations. The deployment reached major soccer markets including New York/New Jersey, Miami, Atlanta, and Southern California, requiring staging, truss, structural components, and installation crews to move efficiently across a national footprint.

The Skeleton of FanFest

Across the activations, Smartstage truss became the structural framework behind temporary branded environments built for the tournament. Hundreds of modular truss components created the underlying skeleton that could then be clad with scenic treatments, graphics, lighting, and other production elements, transforming exposed infrastructure into finished spaces for Bank of America and Coca-Cola fan festival experiences.

The approach provided the flexibility to accommodate different venue footprints and site conditions while maintaining consistency from market to market. Where uneven terrain presented additional challenges, Smartstage staging created stable, usable platforms that allowed the surrounding activation environments to function as intended.

Built for the Fans

Behind the structural scale was a much simpler objective: create places where fans could gather and experience the tournament together. The staging and temporary structures helped define welcoming environments for viewing, brand interaction, entertainment, and the shared energy surrounding each match.

By creating reliable infrastructure beneath the finished fan environments, Smartstage helped Astound and its clients focus on what audiences ultimately experienced above it. Across 14 locations, the same modular approach supported distinctly different activations while helping turn temporary spaces into destinations for soccer fans throughout the tournament.

Around 1,400 Truss Pieces

The scale of the deployment required approximately 1,000 primary truss pieces, with the broader inventory reaching roughly 1,400 pieces when additional 12-inch and 16-inch components were included. Altogether, approximately 1,500 individual components were deployed when baseplates, grapples, connections, and supporting hardware were factored into the system. Hundreds of truss sections moved across 14 locations, creating a modular structural package that could be adapted to different footprints, site conditions, and activation requirements while maintaining consistency from one market to the next.

Temporary Architecture

One of the defining elements of the project was the ability to transform exposed aluminum truss into finished architectural environments. Once clad with scenic materials and branded surfaces, the underlying framework effectively became a temporary building system designed specifically for high-volume fan experiences. That construction method combined the speed and adaptability of event truss with the visual presence of a purpose-built structure. Behind the finished surfaces, the structural framework remained modular, allowing each environment to be assembled, adapted to its location, and ultimately dismantled following the tournament.

Nationwide Deployment

Executing the project required considerably more than supplying equipment. Smartstage coordinated truss deployment, installation, and strike operations across all 14 locations while accounting for different venue footprints, schedules, ground conditions, and production requirements. The nationwide scope demonstrated how a standardized modular inventory could support dramatically different environments without requiring every location to be engineered as an entirely independent build. Equipment could perform consistently while individual installations were configured around the demands of each site.

Solution.

Smartstage supplied a nationwide structural package encompassing approximately 1,500 truss and supporting components across 14 tournament-related locations. Truss frameworks formed the structural skeleton for temporary branded environments, while staging systems addressed uneven terrain and site-specific requirements. Smartstage handled deployment, installation, and strike operations across the multi-city program.

SMARTSTAGE DELIVERS

 Time and again, we've taken on complex and rewarding challenges on behalf of our clients and expanding family of event producers, activators, and brand management teams. No matter the challenge, with our team... you're in good company.