Overview
- France coach Didier Deschamps and midfielder Adrien Rabiot said the MetLife surface felt unusually hard and had very short fibres after their 3–1 win over Senegal on June 16, with Deschamps even suggesting there might be 'concrete' beneath the turf.
- Brazil forward Vinicius Jr earlier warned the pitch was drying out in the heat and making play 'sluggish,' a complaint echoed by multiple players across the first matches at the stadium.
- Teams have adapted equipment and tactics to cope with the surface, with Deschamps saying France avoided screwed-on studs and altered their approach to protect players and the ball.
- FIFA installed temporary, climate-specific natural sod—100% Bermuda at warmer sites like MetLife—after years of research but the stadium’s underlying base layers and drainage limit how the turf performs.
- MetLife’s long-running reputation for turf-related injuries in the NFL has sharpened safety concerns and puts added pressure on organizers and venue operators as the stadium readies for the July 19 final and then returns to its usual artificial turf.