INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL’s international expansion and franchises’ upcoming stadium modifications for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be key moments for the NFL Players Association as it looks to gain ground in the grass vs. turf playing-surface debate.
“It’s never going to disappear,” NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell told Front Office Sports at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Because with the interest in playing more international games, they’re all soccer pitches.”
The NFL will play at least seven games in five countries outside the U.S. during the 2025 regular season and recently announced a game in Australia in 2026. International NFL games have often been criticized for subpar surfaces, whether the stadiums have grass or turf.
“You’ve got inconsistency when you introduce another variable—call it international—which then doesn’t make the issue go away,” Howell says, noting more than 90% of NFL players prefer to play on natural grass surfaces. Half of the league’s 30 stadiums use artificial turf, which can vary between venues.
“We are in agreement, you have to have consistency,” Howell says. “So, whether it’s grass or high-grade synthetic, it has to be consistent.”
Soccer Story
Six NFL stadiums—in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and New Jersey—will temporarily install natural grass surfaces ahead of hosting matches during the World Cup, and Howell plans to capitalize on those moves.
“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,” he says.
Some teams are also removing seats to comply with FIFA regulations. “You can’t say you can’t do it because not only did you change the field surface, you knocked out bleachers so you can accommodate soccer,” Howell says.
Howell highlighted the Dolphins—who received the top ranking in the NFLPA’s team report cards released Wednesday—and owner Stephen Ross’s efforts to consistently replace the grass at Hard Rock Stadium, and supply outdoor grass practice fields.
“It can be done, and when I point that out to other owners, they bristle,” Howell says.
CBA Talks Looming
It’s too early to say whether playing surfaces will be a major negotiating point for the next collective bargaining agreement after the current contract expires at the end of this decade.
The NFLPA has a field surface working group that will meet this week in Indianapolis, and a player representative meeting in March, which will help determine how important the issue is to players moving forward.
“Depending on what the guys’ prioritizations are, let’s see where field surfaces rank,” Howell says. “Is it middle of the pack? Toward the bottom? Because we’re not going to waste time negotiating over things that aren’t a priority.”
