The 2026 World Cup has intensified calls from NFL players for the league to transition to natural grass playing surfaces in stadiums that currently use artificial turf. Players have taken to social media, arguing that if stadiums can accommodate grass for international soccer matches, they can do so for the NFL.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle shared a photograph from the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, urging the league to maintain the natural grass. "Grass looks great at MetLife! Can we keep it that way @NFL?? Would appreciate it thanks," Kittle posted on X.
The grass used at MetLife Stadium for the World Cup was reportedly grown in North Carolina and transported to New Jersey, where it was laid over the existing artificial turf.
Players have voiced concerns that artificial turf poses a safety hazard, contributing to injuries. A notable example is quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in his first series at MetLife Stadium in 2023. Out of the 11 NFL stadiums that hosted World Cup matches, seven converted from artificial turf to natural grass for the tournament.
Harrison Phillips, a defensive lineman for the Jets and a member of the NFLPA's executive committee, expressed the players' preference for natural grass. "The players prefer to play on natural grass. We would love if we could get to that," Phillips told ESPN last month. "There's a ton of issues with climate and how is it possible. If they're able to figure it out for other organizations and other groups playing, they probably can figure it out for us."
The NFL has cited stadium versatility as a reason for sticking with artificial turf. Nick Pappas, the NFL's field director, explained to ESPN that stadiums host numerous events beyond football games, making a permanent natural grass installation challenging. "That's a really challenging thing to do is say we're going to go from a building that produces not just great football games but also community events, the opportunity for our local fans to enjoy our facility, to have a facility to be this large scale, this big, this nice, it's hard to do that with just football games throughout the season," Pappas said.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones echoed this sentiment, stating at the league's annual meetings that artificial turf offers more flexibility. He also expressed ambiguity regarding the safety of grass versus turf and highlighted the economic benefits of artificial turf, which he believes ultimately benefit the players. "No, we have more flexibility with the way we handle our surface at the stadium," Jones said. "We have no belief that it's any safer to play on a grass [field] or a turf. We are ambiguous as to the safety of it. The turf, actually like many things, improves the economics of being able to play this game and our players are the biggest benefactor of all. They get the best benefit of when we do good things financially, the players are benefiting. I'm very comfortable putting some grass down for soccer under regulations and proud to be able to do it but quickly get that turf back out there to go about the other business of the stadium and the team."