World Cup 2026 pitches under fire in American football venues | OneFootball

World Cup 2026 pitches have come under early fire in American football venues that swapped synthetic surfaces for natural or hybrid grass. L'Équipe reports that eight of the 16 stadiums made that change, and that FIFA moved quickly to insist all 16 remain in excellent condition for playability and player safety.

At MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, near New York, Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco three days before France beat Senegal 3-1 on Tuesday, with the venue due to host the final on 19 July. Vinicius said the grass dried quickly and slowed play, while Adrien Rabiot felt it resembled a hard synthetic. In Foxborough on Tuesday, Norway’s 4-1 win over Iraq brought similar criticism from Stale Solbakken about a very dry surface and a ball that seemed to stick.

Suppliers include French multinational Tarkett, which handled Atlanta and Foxborough. Their Grassmaster hybrid is over 95 percent natural grass, reinforced by millions of synthetic fibres to improve stability and consistency in all weather.

Some arenas, notably MetLife, are poorly suited to natural grass. The field sits on a concrete slab with sand and irrigation beneath the hybrid layer, a set-up that Didier Deschamps said shortens the blades, alters the bounce and makes it heavily dependent on watering.

Climate control helps in covered stadiums such as Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz, but not at MetLife and Gillette. With matches across 16 cities in three countries, organisers and specialists will try to fix issues quickly or risk the pitches dominating the tournament.

Source: L'Équipe