George Kittle and the San Francisco 49ers are enjoying a productive offseason. Meanwhile, a grass field for the United States Men’s National Team’s match to open the World Cup sparked a strong reaction from the 49ers’ tight end, who advocated for player safety.
George Kittle Reignites NFL Grass vs. Turf Debate During World Cup
The USMNT turned heads in its opening FIFA World Cup match, cruising to a 4-1 win over Paraguay in the first World Cup game played on American soil in more than 30 years. The four-goal performance energized the packed crowd at Los Angeles Stadium and set a new World Cup scoring record for the U.S. men, who had never previously scored more than three goals in a single tournament match.
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The U.S. men will next face Australia, and another win against either Australia or Turkey, or draws in both remaining group-stage matches, would likely be enough to secure a place in the knockout rounds.
It is a proud moment for the whole U.S., and Kittle also joined in the celebration, initially tweeting the “USA USA USA” chant.
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Meanwhile, Kittle’s subsequent tweet focused on the playing surface at the Los Angeles Rams’ home stadium.
“Also this grass looks great on Sofi’s field… wonder if we could get that all season,” Kittle wrote.
Also this grass looks great on Sofi’s field… wonder if we could get that all season
— George Kittle (@gkittle46) June 13, 2026
Kittle’s comment comes amid FIFA’s requirement that all 16 World Cup venues across the United States, Canada, and Mexico use predominantly natural grass surfaces. To meet those standards, several American stadiums temporarily replaced their synthetic turf with natural grass ahead of the tournament.
The process has involved transporting fresh grass across the continent in refrigerated trucks and installing it to create optimal playing conditions. Of the 16 World Cup venues, cooler and indoor venues use cool-season grass varieties, while warm-weather venues feature warm-season hybrid Bermuda grass.
Kittle, ranked as the No. 5 tight end in PFN’s TE Impact rankings last season, shares a common view among NFL players that natural grass provides a better playing experience than artificial turf. While the NFL has argued that injury rates are relatively similar on the two surfaces, the NFL Players Association maintains that turf causes more injuries, and many players continue to favor grass fields.
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Besides Kittle, New York Giants offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor is among the most vocal supporters of natural grass.
“It was a kind of sucky feeling,” Eluemunor said about NFL stadiums switching from turf to grass. “I’m going into year 10, and I can say wholeheartedly that grass feels way better than turf. With MetLife getting grass, obviously, it’s cool for FIFA and the World Cup.
“It’s one of the biggest stages in the world but, at the same time, the NFL as a whole is one of the most profitable businesses in the world, and so you would think that us as players would have a say in the fields that we get to play on.”
As the World Cup continues, more NFL players may speak on the grass-versus-turf debate. The issue has long been a point of discussion across the league, where half of the 30 regular-season NFL stadiums currently use natural grass and the other half use synthetic surfaces. Many players hope the success of the World Cup’s grass installations could strengthen the push for all NFL venues to adopt natural grass fields eventually.
