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Jul 13, 2026, 1:30 PM CUT

Fans voice concerns over player safety after natural grass was removed from World Cup stadiums

Just months after celebrating natural grass, NFL fans have a new reason to worry. Gillette Stadium is reportedly ditching the surface and returning to artificial turf ahead of the 2026 season.

NFL insider Dov Kleiman, on his X handle, posted an update via Caleb Pongratz stating that the temporary natural grass surface inside the stadium is already being ripped out to be replaced with artificial turf.

“Terrible: The natural grass surface installed at the Patriots Gillette Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially been removed. Back to artificial turf for the 2026 NFL season. Player safety is not even a concern,” wrote Kleiman.

January 30, 2025, Arlington, Texas, USA: NFL, American Football Herren, USA footballs sit on the turf of the 100th East West Shrine Bowl sit on the turf at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas prior to kickoff. Arlington USA - ZUMAm257 20250130_zsp_m257_004 Copyright: xBrianxMcLeanx

The NFLPA has already made its position clear, consistently advocating for natural grass surfaces over artificial turf.

“It's no longer a question of capability: the technology exists, the expertise exists, and the resources exist to install the high-level grass fields that our players overwhelmingly prefer. We have seen the meaningful investments made to meet the standard for international athletes and global events,” said the NFLPA on June 13, per NBC News.

According to the NFL's internal data, the injury rates are identical on grass and artificial turf. 0.43 injuries per 100 plays on artificial turf compared to 0.42 on natural grass.

While the NFL believes that there's no difference, the NFLPA would beg to differ.

They argue that turf leads to a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower-body injuries and a staggering 69% increase in non-contact foot and ankle injuries compared to grass.

In addition to this, the NFLPA separately polled more than 1,700 players and found that a staggering 92 percent prefer natural grass over turf.

With the grass now removed, fans have voiced concerns over player safety.

NFL fans raise safety concerns after Gillette’s grass removal

Dov Kleiman’s X post received a wave of reactions from fans calling out the stadium owners for their double standards.

“Until the brain is in the knee, they won't give a f***,” one enraged fan wrote.

Another fan shared the same view, claiming the owners don't really care what happens to their players.

“They don’t give 2 f**** about the players smh,” said a fan.

Another fan believes that the NFLPA should stage a protest over Gillette Stadium's decision.

“Honestly, the players should go on strike over this.”

One fan, however, sided with the owners, arguing that grass performs differently in snowy conditions and would make play more difficult.

“Grass in July……..not the same as Grass in December,” a fan opined.

Lastly, one fan claimed that the owners might just want to see their players get injured.

“ATP they wanna see players injured,” said a fan.

With the FIFA World Cup coming to a close, many stadiums are preparing to replace natural grass with artificial turf, raising concerns among players and fans alike. That said, what are your thoughts?

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore