NFL Players Push for Grass After World Cup Success

NFL players want natural grass to stay now that the 2026 World Cup proved it works in their buildings. Seven turf stadiums hosted matches on temporary grass this summer. Players spent Monday asking why that surface must leave.

World Cup Grass Reignites the NFL Turf Fight

ESPN and CBS Sports both reported the renewed player push Monday. Of the 16 World Cup venues across North America, 11 were NFL stadiums. Seven of those 11 normally use artificial turf. FIFA required natural grass at every site, so those seven venues converted for the tournament. Players including Laremy Tunsil and Zaire Franklin amplified the union’s #WorthTheCost campaign in response.

The data behind the push is stark. An NFLPA survey found 92 percent of players prefer natural grass. Published injury research shows a 28 percent higher rate of non-contact lower-body injuries on artificial turf. Non-contact knee injuries run 32 percent higher on turf, and non-contact foot and ankle injuries run 69 percent higher.

The tournament itself supplied the proof of concept. Gillette Stadium ripped out its turf and installed grass in June for its World Cup slate. MetLife Stadium, a turf building since it opened in 2010, staged Sunday’s final between Spain and Argentina on temporary grass. Spain lifted the trophy there on a Ferran Torres extra-time winner. Elite athletes played the sport’s biggest matches on those converted fields without a surface controversy.

The stakes are concrete for the 2026 NFL season. Playing surfaces are not collectively bargained, so all 32 owners control their own fields. If the seven converted venues revert to turf, their players go back to that 28 percent injury penalty. The NFLPA argues the summer conversions destroy the old claim that permanent grass is impossible in those buildings.

History says the economics drive the decision. Grass costs more to maintain than turf across a full NFL calendar of concerts and events. Yet the seven venues just paid for full conversions to satisfy FIFA in a single offseason. That price tag is now public, and the union plans to use it. The #WorthTheCost slogan targets that exact spreadsheet argument.

Training camps open league-wide in late July, with most veterans reporting around July 28. Watch whether any of the seven converted clubs commits to keeping grass before Week 1. Also watch the NFLPA’s next move, because the union now holds its strongest evidence since the 92 percent survey. The 2026 season will show whether #WorthTheCost moves any of the 32 owners.