MetLife Stadium, which will be the host site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, has announced it will convert to a grass surface to be in compliance with FIFA requirements.
“MetLife usually has a turf pitch for NFL matches but will be converted to grass for World Cup games to meet FIFA’s standards.” https://t.co/Fd0DSXaCQv
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) February 4, 2024
MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, which will play games in all three North American countries, will begin on June 11 and commence in New Jersey on July 19 at MetLife.
The 16 host cities contain two in Canada, three in Mexico, and 11 in the United States: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey, Mexico City, Toronto, Boston, New York City (MetLife), Philadelphia, and Miami.
Eight of the 16 venues (including MetLife) have permanent artificial turf surfaces that will be replaced with grass under the direction of FIFA and research teams from the University of Tennessee and Michigan State.
For the first time, the tournament will feature 48 teams as opposed to the current 16 and the total number of games will increase from 64 to 104.
Once the World Cup concludes, the Giants and Jets are expected to return the artificial turn to MetLife Stadium.
