Full Breakdown
NFL Players Push for High-Quality Grass Fields Ahead of 2026 World Cup
5/13/2026, 10:01:03 PM
Players’ Grass Demand
NFL Players Association (NFLPA) executive director JC Tretter told “Not Just Football” podcast that a poll of 1,700 players found 92 % favor natural grass over artificial turf. The issue resurfaced as seven NFL stadiums hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches are installing temporary grass to satisfy FIFA’s natural-surface rule. Tretter framed the surface question as a bargaining point for collective-bargaining, noting that players receive no revenue from concerts or monster-truck events that degrade field quality.
Data & Preference
- 1,700 players surveyed; 92 % prefer grass.
- 15 of 30 NFL stadiums currently have permanent grass; the other 15 use turf.
- Seven World Cup venues—MetLife Stadium, AT&T Stadium, Gillette Stadium, Lumen Field, NRG Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium—will receive new grass for the tournament, then revert to turf for the NFL season.
- The NFL-NFLPA surface-selection model, approved in 2025, requires teams replacing fields for 2026 to meet approved metrics; full league compliance is required by 2028.
Official Statements
Tretter emphasized the need for “good, solid fields” and metrics that keep stadiums primarily configured for football. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he expects turf to return to AT&T Stadium after the World Cup, arguing that safety differences are negligible and turf is more cost-effective. NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller highlighted new measurement tools developed with the NFLPA that define a “Goldilocks zone” for field hardness.
Owner Concerns
Stadium owners argue artificial turf lowers maintenance costs and enables revenue-generating events such as concerts and monster-truck rallies. They say temporary grass for the World Cup does not prove a safety benefit and that reverting to turf preserves fiscal flexibility.
Conflicting Data
League statistics claim overall injury rates are statistically similar on grass and turf, while NFLPA analysis reports rising grass-related injuries and steady turf injuries. No standardized metric currently quantifies the “feel” or long-term health impact of each surface, leaving a data gap in negotiations.
Verbatim Quotes
- “What we want is good grass fields.” — JC Tretter, NFLPA Executive Director
- “We want good, solid fields. You don't just want, like, pull out the mini golf course, grass out on every field. You want high quality surfaces.” — JC Tretter
- “There is something about the feeling of being on grass, the body feels different.” — JC Tretter
- “We definitely understand our fields better because of the tools we’ve developed with the Players Association,” — Jeff Miller, NFL EVP
Next Steps
The 2025 surface-selection model obliges teams planning a 2026 replacement to meet approved metrics, with league-wide compliance by 2028. The current collective-bargaining agreement runs through 2030 (or March 2031 per some sources), making the upcoming bargaining round the likely venue for any permanent shift toward high-quality grass across all NFL stadiums.
