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Now that the World Cup has come and gone, NFL players can express their preference for playing on grass more than ever.
This is largely because of the 11 World Cup venues in the United States, seven of them were NFL stadiums that used artificial turf, but FIFA regulations require a grass playing surface.
The NFLPA has joked, not so subtly, about rolling out the “green carpet” for football players this summer, and more recently, players started a movement on social media saying their safety is “#WorthTheCost.”
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Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on October 26, 2025 in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)
But players, including Saquon Barkley, feel a precedent has been set.
“I think they’re going to have a hard time arguing against that because if you can do it for the World Cup, it doesn’t really make sense,” Barkley told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
Barkley admitted he’s “not as educated about it as I should be” and wants to do a little more research on grass-to-turf injury research, but he knows his personal preferences.
“I prefer grass. I think most players prefer grass. And I’ll say this: If the numbers show that playing on grass is better for us, then I think that’s more than enough,” Barkley said.
Workers install the pitch at New York New Jersey Stadium ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 7, 2026. (Charly Triballeau/AFP)
FORMER NFL STAR SAYS HE ‘DEFINITELY WOULD BE’ FRUSTRATED WITH THE NFL LETTING FIFA BRING GRASS TO GRASS FIELDS
“There’s no reason why, if you can do it for the World Cup, and if that’s what we ask for as players, we can’t do it. I know that’s how the players feel. I love playing on grass… Even when you practice on grass, we hate it. We don’t like it. I have to educate myself more on this topic. But if the numbers speak to what I think they will do, then there shouldn’t be any reason why we shouldn’t do it.”
Ironically, Barkley’s serious injuries have come on the turf, including a torn ACL in Chicago in 2020, which he admitted put him in a “difficult situation, but there’s a lot of things you just can’t control.” His 2,000-yard campaign came in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, who play their home games on grass.
Half of the league’s stadiums use grass, despite NFLPA CEO Lloyd Howell saying that 92% of league players I prefer grass. However, common speculation is that grass is cheaper to use and easier to maintain than grass, considering that stadiums host many more events throughout the year.
Was announced at the end of last year that each NFL team will receive “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the 2026 season begins. Any new fields will have to immediately meet those standards, and all teams will have two years to reach them.
Both grass and synthetic turf fields will be subject to the new standards, but the NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields.
Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles takes the field before the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)
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The league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said there are no “statistically significant differences” in lower extremity injuries or concussions that can be attributed to the type of playing surface or a specific surface. This despite players’ widespread preference for grass fields and complaints about surfaces like MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play and where the World Cup final was played.
