The more an organization says “there’s nothing to see here,” the more there usually is to see.
FIFA is downplaying concerns about the quality of the grass at not-MetLife Stadium, the site of eight total World Cup matches — including the championship game.
Brazil faced Morocco at not-MetLife Stadium on June 13. Via Melanie Anzidei of _The Athletic_, Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior had a not-so-favorable assessment of the surface at the venue the Jets and Giants share.
“Because of the weather and the heat, the grass dries out quickly and the [game ends up being very slow](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7377642/2026/06/21/metlife-pitch-world-cup-final-fifa/),” Vinicius Junior told TNT Sports Brazil. “We can’t build up a rhythm. . . . That makes things difficult because we want to play. We want to move the ball from one side to the other and this disrupts our game. But we have to adapt because I believe it will be like this all tournament. Everyone will have to play on the same surfaces.”
After France played Senegal at not-MetLife Stadium, France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, called it “a special surface — it’s different.”
“We need to get used to this,” Deschamps said. “There might be some cement below the grass. You have very short shards of grass here.”
France’s Adrien Rabiot said this after playing at not-MetLife Stadium: “Well, the pitch was . . . I don’t know if I’d even call it that. It seemed more like an artificial pitch. It was hard and rigid, but it’s like that for every team. You need to adapt to the conditions. . . . I hope we find better pitches in our other games.”
FIFA, as it often does, issued a statement aimed at downplaying any issues.
“FIFA has invested more than five years in meticulous and collaborative research, testing and innovation, working closely with leading turf experts, stadium operators and football stakeholders, to deliver the best possible playing surfaces for players,” FIFA said in a statement issued to _The Athletic_. “The pitches at all 16 FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums remain in excellent condition from both a playability and player safety perspective.”
FIFA’s statement also responded to issues raised about the appearance of the grass at not-MetLife Stadium.
“While there have been comments regarding the visual appearance of certain areas of the playing surface at NYNJ Stadium, FIFA’s Turf Management Team’s assessment is that every pitch is healthy and performing as intended for elite competition,” FIFA said. “Variations in the appearance of some surfaces, whether on television or in person, do not necessarily reflect the quality, health or playability of the pitch.”
Regardless, those who have competed in the two prior matches at not-MetLife Stadium have said what they have said.
Norway faces Senegal on Monday night at MetLife Stadium, with five more matches to go. Obviously, the appearance and performance of the pitch will become a focal point moving forward.