TMetLife Stadium’s artificial turf has gotten a bad reputation due to numerous NFL players breaking down on the artificial turf.
At least 15 players playing for MetLife have sustained anterior cruciate ligament or Achilles tendon injuries since the start of the 2020 season. These injuries are almost always season-ending.
Nick Bosa (2020) – ACL tear Solomon Thomas (2020) – ACL tear Blake Martinez (2021) – ACL tear Jabrill Peppers (2021) – ACL tear James Robinson (2021) – Achilles tear TJ Brunson (2021) – Torn anterior cruciate ligament tear Jawan James (2022) – Achilles tear Kyle Fuller (2022) – ACLS tear Sterling Shepard (2022) – ACL tear Wan’Dale Robinson (2022) – ACLD Dowan Smoot (2022) – Achilles tear Darian Beavers (2022) – Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament Aaron Rodgers (2023) – Rupture of the Achilles tendon Jaylan Phillips (2023) – Rupture of the Achilles tendon Malik Nabers (2025) – Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament
The NFL thinks everything is fine.
NFL Director of Football Administration Dawn Aponte once again defended artificial turf, saying it does not affect player injuries. “Today we talked about surfaces. We talked about a lot of work that’s going on right now, a focus on improving consistency, optimizing gameplay and reducing the risk of injury,” Aponte said.
He later said, “What we have seen so far, domestically and internationally, is that there is no significant difference in injury rates between grass and synthetic turf.”
“So far, there is no significant difference in injury rates between grass and synthetic turf, both nationally and internationally.”
FIFA disagrees
FIFA has already confirmed that the 2026 World Cup final will be held at MetLife Stadium and will be played on natural grass according to its regulations.
Changes were already visible in the Club World Cup final, where Chelsea were crowned champions. But that natural turf didn’t last long, and by the time the Giants and Jets began the NFL preseason, stadiums had already been reverted to artificial turf.
Given that the stadium will host eight matches for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA could break the MetLife Stadium curse and finally give MetLife a natural grass pitch for life.
