John Harbaugh would prefer the New York Giants to play on grass at MetLife Stadium, like the World Cup. He hinted at his desired playing surface during a press conference on the first day of minicamp.
However, the first-year head coach did not want to get in trouble and kept his full thoughts to himself.
Harbaugh’s not-so-secret opinion coincides with a majority of NFL players. And yet, the league continues not to listen.
MetLife Stadium is using natural grass for the World Cup.
MetLife Stadium, which will be branded as ‘New York New Jersey Stadium’ for the World Cup, is scheduled to host eight FIFA World Cup matches in 2026. It will stage give group stage matches, two knockout round matches and the World Cup Final on July 19. The group games will feature Brazil, Morocco, France, Senegal, Norway, Germany, Panama and England. The rest is obviously to be determined.
Competition for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to begin on Thursday. The first game at MetLife Stadium is set for Saturday.
With just a few days until the start of competition, the stadium looks completely different than it does during the NFL season. The artificial turf field has been replaced with natural grass.
The installation took place at the beginning of May so the grass had more than a month to settle. Much like Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which recently drew unnecessary criticism for its playing surface, this is not the first soccer game to be played at MetLife.
27 trucks transported hundreds of rolls of grass from a turf farm in North Carolina to the Meadowlands. Workers rolled the slabs of grass onto a layer of sand upon arrival. Once the grass was laid out, they tugged and pulled at the surface with rakes to fasten it. They also used an asphalt roller to stabilize the surface even further. The slabs of grass were then sowed together at the seams.
Once the grass was properly installed at the start of May, the focus shifted to maintenance over the last four-ish weeks. The grounds crew has worked diligently to get the field ready for play.
John Harbaugh would love the New York Giants to get rid of the artificial turf.
The New York Jets and New York Giants normally play on an artificial turf field at MetLife Stadium. The grass is only installed for the World Cup. It will be removed in time for the first game of the NFL preseason. American football games will be played on turf.
John Harbaugh would prefer the grass to stay. He did not want to get involved with the conversation on turf vs. grass because he did not want to anger the league commissioner. The 63-year-old didn’t want to say what Roger Goodell didn’t want him to say.
Silence often speaks louder than words. Even though he did not outright say it, Harbaugh certainly seems to prefer natural grass to artificial turf. The Ravens switched from turf to grass in 2015. Their head coach was thrilled.
This desire for a natural grass playing surface coincides with the feelings of the players. The NFLPA already called out the league over the use of natural grass at MetLife Stadium for the World Cup. It also called for a massive overhaul to NFL stadiums after the injury to Aaron Rodgers in 2023. A vast majority of players want the fake turf to be removed from every stadium. Even Swifties took up arms with the NFL over turf fields after Travis Kelce’s injury scare.
Meanwhile, the league continues to claim that turf fields are just as safe as grass fields. Change does not appear imminent.