The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off this week, and one New England Patriots legend had some criticism for NFL teams’ owners over the playing conditions. In a massive overhaul, many of the allocated stadiums had their turf replaced with grass to provide players with familiar match conditions. However, the operation ignited an age-old debate in the NFL.
Devin McCourty Slams NFL Teams As Soccer Players Get To Play on Grass
For decades, NFL fans, analysts, and players alike have slammed team owners for using artificial turf on playing surfaces instead of natural grass. The debate stems from turf’s tendency to cause more injuries compared to grass.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to be hosted in America, Mexico, and Canada, the playing surfaces were overhauled with grass.
While soccer players generally won’t find anything strange, Devin McCourty, a three-time Super Bowl champion for the New England Patriots, weighed in on the debate, advocating for grass fields.
“I think it’s hilarious because every team usually practices on grass fields,” he said on “Pro Football Talk.” “They have these grass fields they have to take care of because they know you don’t want to practice on that turf day in and day out because of the impact it has on your body.”
As a general rule, soccer teams have always played on natural grass, given its comfort compared to the less forgiving turf surfaces, which tend to cause more injuries.
With grass surfaces being specially installed for the World Cup, many see it as a slap in the face of NFL players, who don’t get the same luxury.
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“I remember, 2012 or 2013,” McCourty added, “Brazil and Portugal played a friendly at Gillette Stadium, and it’s the most disrespectful thing, as a (football) player, when you see them pouring all this dirt and putting this grass surface on top your field because the field is not adequate enough for these soccer players to get on the field, and you know you’re about to go back and play on this field time and time again — watch guys get hurt on it.”
MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Giants and Jets, is one of the venues with a World Cup grass surface, and Giants head coach John Harbaugh subtly hinted he’d prefer it for his players, too.
“I laugh because Harbaugh said Goodell’s not gonna like (his comments about turf fields),” McCourty said. “This grass and turf stuff has nothing to do with Goodell. If the owners came and said, ‘Hey, the coaches and players want grass’… because that’s the thing people don’t talk about, too. Most of the coaches want grass fields… The owners don’t want to pay for the upkeep of a grass field.”
While calls for natural grass fields in the NFL are nothing new, it still seems unlikely that team owners will make the sacrifice for their players.
