Jerry Jones has confirmed the Dallas Cowboys will continue to play on turf even though their home stadium, AT&T Stadium, will use grass this summer as its temporary surface for the 2026 World Cup
14:00 ET, 04 Apr 2026
A general view of AT&T Stadium prior to a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals on November 03, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.
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AT&T Stadium currently utilizes artificial turf
The Dallas Cowboys will not shift away from turf for the 2026 NFL season, despite AT&T Stadium using grass this summer as its playing surface for the FIFA World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup is fast approaching, with AT&T Stadium one of the NFL stadiums set to host games in America, alongside MetLife Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, NRG Stadium, Levi's Stadium, SoFi Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, Lumen Field, Gillette Stadium, and Hard Rock Stadium.
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However, for the tournament to go ahead this summer, all stadiums that use artificial turf will need to switch to natural grass, meaning some NFL stadiums will need to replace their surfaces. Elsewhere in the NFL, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding may be impacted by a recent announcement by the Kansas City Chiefs, while ESPN's Dan Orlovsky could be replaced as part of their B-Team broadcasting unit.
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One of those stadiums that will need to change its surface is the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. However, despite the Cowboys changing their surface this offseason for the World Cup, that change will not be permanent.
"No," said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones when asked about the possibility of the grass staying in place following the end of the World Cup.
Jones also claimed that he does not believe that playing on artificial turf is less safe than playing on grass. He added, "We have more flexibility with the way we handle our surface at the stadium. We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on grass.
Jerry Jones won't be making a permanent change to the Dallas Cowboys playing surface
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Jerry Jones won't be making a permanent change to the Dallas Cowboys playing surface(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
"The turf, actually like many things, improves the economics of being able to play this game and our players are the biggest benefactor of all. They get the best benefit of when we do good things financially, the players benefit. So I’m working for you, baby, if you’re a player."
However, FIFA's World Cup regulations require stadiums to use grass, and Jones is happy to comply to see soccer played at AT&T Stadium this summer.
"I’m very comfortable putting some grass down for soccer under regulations and proud to be able to do it, but quickly getting the turf back there to get back to the other business of the stadium and the team."
The World Cup
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The World Cup takes place in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer(Image: Getty Images)
While there has been plenty of controversy surrounding whether or not grass is safer to play on than turf, the league's chief medical adviser, Dr. Allen Sills, claimed there is little in the way of a statistically significant difference between the two surfaces.
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"If you look at natural grass as one bucket, artificial fields as another bucket, we look at things like overall injuries, or ACL tears, or Achilles ruptures, or concussions," Sills said.
"And if you look at that, you don’t really see what I’d say are statistically significant differences.
"And that’s what we look at in medicine and biology … not just is there a raw difference, but is there something that is statistically meaningfully different? And we also look at it by stadium."