They had two setups:
https://meadowlandsmedia.com/metlife-stadium-ready-for-its-closeup-as-grass-trucked-in-for-world-cup-2026/
Posted on 07/18/2026 7:48:36 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
As the World Cup winds down ahead of Sunday’s final, NFL players are taking to social media to express their desire to play on the type of natural grass fields the tournament used throughout the summer.
Players across the league this week attached the hashtag “WorthTheCost” to posts asking why grass fields were used in World Cup games played in NFL stadiums, while they aren’t afforded the same surfaces in many of those same venues. Among the players who posted the hashtag on Friday: Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, Washington Commanders tackle Laremy Tunsil, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen and New York Jets defensive lineman Harrison Phillips. Numerous other players added additional comments in their messages.
“If stadiums can make grass work for the World Cup, they can make it work for NFL players,” multiple NFL players posted on X. “We’re #WorthTheCost.”
Reached by The Athletic, the NFL Players Association pointed back to a statement the union put out in mid-June as the World Cup was set to begin.
“The temporary installation of natural grass fields for the World Cup is a choice by certain NFL team owners to do for soccer players what they refuse to do for NFL players,” the NFLPA said in a statement on June 10. “It’s no longer a question of capability: the technology exists, the expertise exists and the resources exist to install the high-level grass fields that our players overwhelmingly prefer.
“We have seen the meaningful investments made to meet the standard for international athletes and global events. NFL players — who regularly compete on these fields, help fund these stadiums, and whose work makes the league what it is today — deserve the same commitment to quality grass fields.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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Yeah, we believe that.
...because grass growing in June and July is the same as September through December...
Only a fish wrap like the New York Times could try to make this a story in 2026.
That is a great question: why did the FIFA players get better fields?
Was it real grass on top of the plastic stuff?
They had two setups:
https://meadowlandsmedia.com/metlife-stadium-ready-for-its-closeup-as-grass-trucked-in-for-world-cup-2026/
Bermuda Grass grows fast but goes dormant below 50 degrees and will not survive a Northern winter.
True but only if it freezes once and stays frozen. Then it's as hard as concrete and leads to injuries. There are ridges and cleat prints frozen in place until the spring thaw. There's no way to repair it if it's too torn up.
Games such as the December 26th 1977 NFC Playoff "Mud Bowl" in Minneapolis helped push the league to switch the Astro Turf. And they're not going back either; sweat, blood, and spit in the mud are completely unsanitary.
Lambeau Field manages just fine in harsh Wisconsin winters.
December grass is so lush and pure sometimes it turns white...
YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTN. The Ny SLimes is late to the game and only picked up on this story this week. THis has been been a issue for a long time with the players union and tey are tired of knee an other injuries.
In addition to underground boilers and miles of piping, along with grow lamps used above, Lambeau Field has synthetic fibers woven into the grass.
Lambeau Field is also rarely used for events other than football.
Multi-use is a factor, as well as recovery time for grass. MetLife stadium, where the World Cup final is hosted, switches the end zone names and coloring for the Giants and the Jets, and they can play in the same stadium Thursday and Sunday, not leaving much time for the field to recover. The Packers can go two weeks to recover, three if there's a bye week in between.
Because Roger Goodell has no respect for football players.
Let the Communist games begin. All in, 451.
What’s Taylor Kelce have to say❓
Sure, and if they want to pay for their own stadium, they can play on flubberoleum.
An NFL team plays 8 home games out of 365 days of the year (in addition to the Pre-season which has poor attendance and is a money loser). These stadiums gain more revenue from other events than they do from the NFL teams that play there, especially if the team is a dog and fans don't care to attend.
And an indoor stadium offers even more options for non-NFL events.
Bermuda grass is Evil. Zoysia, too.
Kentucky Bluegrass is proof God Loves Us and wants us to be Happy. It likes the cooler temperatures.
Turfgrass requires maintenance and staff. Irrigation, fertilizer. That’s why they got rid of it, mostly.
They make all the money from TV deals.
All the NFL players have to do is to go on strike until they get what they want.
If they were willing to accommodate FIFA, they can do the same with the NFL players.
But the NFLPA is weak compared to the MLBPA.
Accomodating FIFA in June and July, for a low surface impact sport such as soccer, is not the same as maintaining grass in September through December for football.
No one in soccer is forming up 300 pound linemen, digging into the ground to push through a defensive line, which is also dug in to stop them. And then repeating it less than two minutes later, continuing to do so for an entire game and possibly overtime.
I remember the good old days when the field at Baltimore Memorial Stadium was pretty much dirt.
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