George Kittle took to X to celebrate the first goal the United States men’s national team scored during the 2026 World Cup. A minute later, the seven-time Pro Bowl San Francisco 49ers tight end shared something else that was on his mind.
“Also this grass looks great on Sofi’s field… wonder if we could get that all season,” Kittle wrote, facetiously.
SoFi Stadium is the home of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers in Inglewood, California. It’s also one of 11 NFL stadiums that’s hosted World Cup games this year. Of those 11, seven traditionally use synthetic turf as their primary playing surface for NFL games, including SoFi Stadium. The others are the Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, the New York Giants and Jets’ MetLife Stadium, the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, the Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium and the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field.
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In other words, the only four NFL stadiums serving as temporary international soccer beacons that already used grass are the Philadelphia Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium, the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium and the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium.
But all of them are currently sporting natural grass that FIFA installed ahead of the tournament. The sight of lush green carpet in some particular stadiums, such as MetLife Stadium — where Giants players have infamously been plagued by non-contact lower-extremity injuries — has drawn ire.
Giants offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor described learning that a handful of NFL stadiums would be subbing out turf to use grass in the World Cup as “a kind of sucky feeling,” according to NBC News.
“I’m going into year 10, and I can say wholeheartedly that grass feels way better than turf,” Eluemunor noted, per NBC News.
“With MetLife getting grass, obviously it’s cool for FIFA and the World Cup. It’s one of the biggest stages in the world but, at the same time, the NFL as a whole is one of the most profitable businesses in the world, and so you would think that us as players would have a say in the fields that we get to play on.”
This debate has been raging on for years, and the World Cup being stateside has only added fuel to the fire, with the NFL Players Association leveraging the opportunity to put pressure on the NFL. Look no further than its X account, where testimonies from players like Eluemunor are on display.
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Kittle’s generated attention on Friday once it was reposted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“We’ve made it clear that we prefer grass fields,” Kittle said. “We know it’s better on our bodies. And clearly, we know it’s possible based on everything that went into putting down grass fields for the World Cup in each stadium.
“At this point, it comes down to the NFL making it a priority and choosing to invest in us as players, because our bodies are our business, which they get to capitalize on!”
The NFLPA’s 2023 survey found that 92% of players prefer playing on grass versus turf. The NFL has pushed back, releasing its own data about injuries on grass surfaces.
“The issue behind those numbers is that grass has actually ticked up in injuries, which means we have to make sure we’re having good surfaces,” new NFLPA executive director JC Tretter said recently.
Tretter, a former NFL veteran offensive lineman, added: “We need top-tier grass services and making sure we have performance to keep guys healthy and safe and be able to perform out there.”
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Notably, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced this offseason that the franchise will replace the grass playing surface at Acrisure Stadium that received an F- in the leaked NFLPA report cards ESPN reported this past winter. The Steelers, who share a field with the University of Pittsburgh, are trading out Kentucky bluegrass for Tahoma 31 Bermuda, a mixture of Bermuda and bluegrass that’s better suited to withstand cold conditions. The Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field and the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field also use Tahoma 31 Bermuda, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Other former players have chimed in on the grass-turf debate, both in the lead-up to the World Cup and during the tournament. In total, just 15 of the NFL’s 30 regular stadiums use natural grass.
“Well, if you’re asking me as a former player and a coach, I’d like to have grass in 32 stadiums. There’s no question about that,” Jason Garrett told Kay Adams on her show, “Up & Adams,” on June 18.
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Garrett, a former NFL quarterback and Dallas Cowboys head coach, acknowledged the “business part” of the conversation as well, referencing how the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium is used for more than just Cowboys games. Having grass on the field “complicates that,” Garrett conceded.
“Let’s face it: It’s a money-making operation, not only for AT&T Stadium but for stadiums all across the National Football League,” Garrett said.
“The obvious question is, if the World Cup players demand that they’re not going to play unless they’re playing on grass, why can’t [in] the NFL, arguably the greatest league in the world, the players make that same demand, if in fact your greatest investment is in your players?”
Like Garrett, former Patriots safety Devin McCourty is now an analyst for NBC’s “Football Night in America.” Earlier this month, McCourty told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that this predicament has nothing to do with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and everything to do with NFL owners.
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“I think it’s hilarious, too, because every team practices usually on grass fields,” McCourty said. “They have these grass fields that they have to take care of because they know you don’t want to practice on that turf day in and day out because of the impact it has on your body.”
McCourty recalled a past friendly that was being played between Brazil and Portugal at Gillette Stadium during his tenure with the Patriots.
“It’s the most disrespectful thing as a player when you see them pouring all this dirt and putting this grass surface on top of your field because the field’s not adequate enough for these soccer players to get on the field,” he said. “And you know you’re about to go back and play on this field time and time again, watch guys get hurt on it.”
McCourty continued: “The owners don’t want to pay for the upkeep of a grass field. They want to be able in the offseason to have all of these different events at their stadium … . They want to be able to have it, and it’s very cost-effective to have the artificial turf. You can place so many different things over it. You could do a rodeo over it, you can do a monster truck show over it.”
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This frustration among players and coaches isn’t new. It’s simply been exacerbated by the accommodations made for this year’s World Cup.
