NFLPA Reignites Grass-Turf Debate Ahead of Club World Cup

The Club World Cup might be struggling to sell tickets, but at least it got the attention of the NFL Players Association. 

The union weighed in on the installation of a grass field at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey ahead of its hosting of the preliminary rounds by commenting “Looks nice…#SaferFields” on X off a picture of the new-look stadium. 

The NFLPA’s crusade to get all of the league’s stadiums switched from turf to grass has been years in the making. Players prefer it, though the league disputes that data show any difference in safety. Major international men’s tournaments require grass, which is in about half of NFL stadiums. But the temporary grass isn’t perfect either: The new surface for the Copa America at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium was criticized for being bumpy. 

Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be installing temporary grass again for the Club World Cup along with MetLife, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, but will be switched back to turf in time for the NFL season. 

Next summer, seven NFL stadiums will have to make the temporary switch from turf to grass in order to host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The World Cup has long been a rallying cry for the NFLPA to point out that team owners can switch the playing surface at their stadiums if they really wanted to. 

“We’ll remind everyone that just saying ‘it can’t be done,’ or ‘we’re not going to do it,’ well, you’re doing it,” NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell previously told Front Office Sports at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

The issue was highlighted again in 2023 after then-Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into the season on MetLife’s turf surface. A year before his injury, Rodgers lobbied for stadiums to switch to natural grass, which would reportedly cost the NFL just $12 million.

“We want to provide surfaces that perform best for our players,” NFL field director Nick Pappas told ESPN. “We want them to be able to go out and play and execute and be able to just focus on football.”