Is it really okay? Complaints continue to mount about the turf at New York/New Jersey Stadium, which will host the final of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

France head coach Didier Deschamps played the first Group I match of the World Cup on the 17th at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Despite a satisfying 3-1 win over Senegal, Deschamps expressed dissatisfaction with the stadium’s turf. In the post-match press conference, when asked, he said, “The surface is unusual. We will need to adapt,” adding, “It feels as if there is concrete laid beneath the turf.” He said, “I have experienced this before. If the soil layer under the grass is not thick enough, playing can be more difficult.” He added, “It is different. It definitely feels different.”

New York/New Jersey Stadium is originally a National Football League (NFL) venue. The New York Giants and New York Jets use it as their home. Its original name is MetLife Stadium. To protect the exclusive rights of official World Cup sponsors, during the tournament it drops the name MetLife and is referred to as New York/New Jersey Stadium. It was originally an artificial-turf venue, but for the World Cup they hurriedly installed natural grass. NFL players also prefer natural grass because it is easier to play on, but it is difficult to maintain. That is because, in addition to NFL games, other events such as college football, concerts, and rodeos are held very frequently. Including New York/New Jersey Stadium, 11 NFL venues have laid new natural grass in place of their usual artificial turf to host World Cup matches. These venues plan to reinstall artificial turf after the World Cup ends.

Even though natural grass was installed in haste, complaints like Deschamps’s continue. Vinicius of Brazil, who played Morocco here earlier, said, “Once we got into the second half, the hot weather made the grass dry quickly. The flow of the match slowed, and it was hard for us to find the rhythm we wanted.”

New York/New Jersey Stadium had a poor reputation even compared with other NFL venues that use artificial turf. One of the NFL’s biggest stars, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in September 2023 in his first game after joining the New York Jets, played at home. USA Today reported, “The New York Giants’ Malik Nabers and the San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa were also seriously injured at MetLife Stadium (New York/New Jersey Stadium).”

Questions continue over whether it is acceptable to stage the World Cup, the world’s premier football event, on hastily installed natural grass, but many matches still remain on the schedule. Three group-stage matches, the round of 32, the round of 16, and the final on the 20th of next month will be held here.