In the summer of 2026, the world’s best players will converge on the New York metropolitan area to compete in potentially the most watched soccer match in history.
In a surprise, FIFA revealed in February 2024 that MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jerseywhich is part of the New York metropolitan area, will have the lucrative and historic honor of hosting the 2026 World Cup final.
It was widely reported for months ahead of the 2026 World Cup schedule, revealing that AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas would be selected to host the tournament final, beating out both MetLife Stadium and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, but that was ultimately not the case.
With this appointment, the venue’s playing field immediately became a major topic of conversation. MetLife Stadium currently sports a turf field that has often been criticized due to a perception of increased injury risk.
Sports news brings you all the latest information available regarding the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, which has been scheduled for July 19, 2026.
MORE: Full schedule of 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico
Will the 2026 World Cup final take place on grass or grass?
Although MetLife Stadium has a permanent turf surface installed and used for most events, they will need to make a change for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This is due to the fact FIFA requires World Cup matches to be played on grass. Therefore, the 2026 World Cup final and the other seven matches played at the stadium throughout the tournament will be played on a natural grass surface.
However, the questions and possible controversies do not stop there. On several occasions in the recent past in the United States, stadiums with turf fields have attempted to install temporary turf surfaces on their turf in order to host individual football matches, with questionable results.
According to Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer In 2022, FIFA teamed up with a University of Tennessee professor to study growing turf in different climates and situations in U.S. stadiums at unique World Cup venues across the country. .
It is unclear whether FIFA will require stadiums to install permanent turf surfaces that can be transported in and out of the venue as needed – an extremely expensive undertaking – or whether it will admit that venues can install a temporary turf field.
In 2019, the USMNT players’ union spoke out against the decision to install a temporary turf field at FC Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium for a summer friendly against Venezuela. claiming the playing field constituted “significantly increased risk of injury” and constituted “a loss of 90 minutes”. Venezuela won the match 3-0 with three goals in the first half.
Regardless of how it is achieved, the 2026 World Cup matches will be played in one way or another on grass.
What is the playing surface at MetLife Stadium?
Beginning with the 2023 NFL season, MetLife Stadium features a FieldTurf Core HD playing surface for NFL games and other events at the 82,500-seat venue.
New York Giants owner John Mara left the UBU Speed S5-M turf in the 2022-23 NFL offseason after significant criticism from the league regarding increased injury risk perceived on the ground. This grass had been in place for five years and installed in the summer of 2017.
Concerns about the risk of injury on the MetLife Stadium field have circulated since the venue’s inception. Opened in 2010 after three years of construction, MetLife Stadium’s turf has often been criticized for its propensity for injuries. Whether that propensity is real or merely perceived is another subject, but the conversation has been constant throughout the stadium’s life.
Last year, the MetLife Stadium NFL tenants the New York Jets lost starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a torn Achilles tendon in the season opener. Giants signal-caller Daniel Jones tore his ACL midseason last year, although that injury occurred on the road in Las Vegas, whose Allegiant Stadium has a permanent natural turf surface and rolling which can be replaced by a turf surface used by the UNLV football team.
MetLife Stadium has made improvements to its turf field in the past. For example, New York Giants wide receiver Domenik Hixon tore his ACL on the stadium turf in 2014, a high-profile injury since it occurred when Hixon stepped awkwardly into a seam of a removable turf logo at midfield. Since then, the NFL logo has been left at midfield and not swapped between Jets and Giants games.
