The NFL is replacing turf with grass in seven stadiums for the 2026 World Cup, reigniting the debate over playing surfaces. While players prefer grass, the league maintains injury rates are similar on both surfaces.
The NFL’s decision to replace artificial turf with natural grass in seven stadiums for the 2026 World Cup has reignited the long-standing debate over playing surfaces. While players overwhelmingly prefer grass, the league maintains that injury rates are similar on both surfaces.
Dion Dawkins, the All-Pro left tackle for the Buffalo Bills, told USA TODAY Sports, “Grass is the natural thing. Turf is the unnatural thing. If you’re playing on grass, there’s a give. It’s a softer bottom. Like there’s dirt, there’s soil, there’s bugs. It’s just a real, live thing. Turf, you can scrape yourself and the turf burn is like rubbing your arm on sandpaper.”
The debate is not just about player preference but also about safety. The NFL has maintained that there is no statistically significant difference in injury rates between grass and turf. However, players like Dawkins argue that grass is better for their longevity and overall health.
The 2026 World Cup and the Grass vs. Turf Debate
Seven of the 11 NFL venues that will host World Cup matches are converting from turf to grass. This includes MetLife Stadium, which is notorious for high-profile injuries on its artificial turf. The optics of this switch are not lost on players and fans alike.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, whose team plays on “Soft Top Matrix Turf” at AT&T Stadium, firmly agrees with the league’s conclusion about the injury data. “There’s no difference for safety,” Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “No difference. I put grass in here for the soccer, because that’s the only way they’ll play the game. Not because I think that grass is a better surface.”
Jones’ stance highlights the complexity of the issue. While soccer players refuse to play on anything other than natural grass, NFL players have not made it a priority in labor negotiations. The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has not taken the issue to the negotiating table, focusing instead on other concerns like revenue sharing and practice rules.
The Science Behind the Debate
The NFL’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Allen Sills, has stated that the data does not show a statistically significant difference in injury rates between grass and turf. “If you look at natural grass as one bucket, artificial fields as another bucket, we look at things like overall injuries, or ACL tears, or Achilles ruptures, or concussions,” Sills told reporters during a videoconference. “And if you look at that, you don’t really see what I’d say are statistically significant differences.”
However, players and experts like John Sorochan, a University of Tennessee professor and NFLPA consultant, argue that the debate is more nuanced. Sorochan has worked with the NFLPA since 2010 and also consults with FIFA. He praises the grass installed at AT&T Stadium for a 2024 international soccer friendly, which was grown indoors for more than a year and used advanced technology to ensure its quality.
Sorochan’s work highlights the potential for high-quality grass surfaces, even in domed stadiums. However, he also acknowledges the challenges and costs associated with maintaining natural grass, especially in indoor environments.
The Future of NFL Playing Surfaces
The NFL is working to raise field standards with a new policy that will govern playing surfaces. The policy, set to be implemented by 2028, will mandate that each NFL venue will have a new surface, with teams required to choose from a menu of approved fields. This policy aims to improve consistency and safety across all NFL stadiums.
Nick Pappas, the NFL’s field director, underscores the challenge of maintaining consistent playing surfaces. “We’ve got essentially 30 different surfaces out there,” Pappas told reporters. “While 15 may be synthetic turf today, and 15 may be natural grass, the reality is that those 15 natural grass fields vary location to location. They vary throughout the season, and sometimes they vary from one side of the field to the other.”
The NFL’s goal is to improve consistency and safety, regardless of whether the surface is grass or turf. The league is using advanced tools to measure traction, hardness, and other biophysical properties of surfaces to better understand their correlation to injuries.
Player Preferences and the Road Ahead
While the debate over grass vs. turf continues, players like Michael Pittman of the Indianapolis Colts remain vocal about their preference for grass. “I just think when you look at FIFA and how when these teams come over here, they put grass over turf, maybe we can do the same thing in the NFL,” Pittman told USA TODAY Sports.
However, the issue may not gain traction in the NFL until players make it a priority in labor negotiations. Until then, the debate will likely continue, with the league and players working to find common ground between the end zones.
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