France and Brazil stars criticize World Cup stadium's 'hard' and 'dry' pitch

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France's Adrien Rabiot has called out the state of the turf at MetLife Stadium following their win against Senegal -Credit:Nicolò Campo, LightRocket via Getty Images


Adrien Rabiot has slammed the playing surface at MetLife Stadium, with the French midfielder questioning whether he could even describe it as 'a pitch.'

The 2026 World Cup is now fully underway, with Thursday's action witnessing Jesse Marsch's Canada demolish Qatar 6-0 in commanding style. Yet the match, which was attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, was overshadowed by a devastating injury to Canada's Ismael Kone, who was stretchered off following a challenge by Assim Madibo.

Meanwhile, during France's tournament opener, they overcame a lackluster first-half showing to beat Senegal 3-1 at MetLife Stadium, with Kylian Mbappe netting twice to give Didier Deschamps' team a perfect beginning. Nevertheless, Rabiot, who featured for the full 90 minutes against Senegal, expressed frustration with the playing conditions France encountered in New Jersey.

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"The pitch, I don't even know if you can call it that," said Rabiot of the MetLife Stadium pitch, via The Mirror US. "It felt more like an artificial surface-quite hard and quite rigid."

Because of FIFA regulations, the venue, which hosts the New York Giants and New York Jets, was required to lay a temporary grass field, something NFL players have long advocated for. "Annoying," said Giants lineman Jermaine Eluemunor when asked about the soccer stars getting to play on grass instead of turf. "It's nice playing on grass," he added.

Rabiot is not the only player to have taken aim at the pitch at MetLife Stadium. "In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly," said Vinicius Junior following Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco. "The game becomes very sluggish, and we can't get into our rhythm."

France head coach Didier Deschamps has also weighed in with his own sharp criticism of the MetLife surface.

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"It's different," Deschamps said of the pitch when asked about it following France's opening game win. "You have to get used to it. The fact there's a concrete slab underneath means the grass fibers are very short. The bounce is different and the turf changes depending on how much it's watered."

He continued: "Some players had already played the Club World Cup here. If there isn't a good thickness of soil, it's different. The players weren't going to put in screw-in studs because there isn't much depth. Since we don't train on it, it's complicated. I warned them, but it's different from what they're used to."

In response to the mounting backlash directed at MetLife Stadium and FIFA, the governing body issued a statement asserting it had devoted "more than five years" of research to guaranteeing the tournament's playing surfaces meet the highest possible standards.

"The pitches at all 16 FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums remain in excellent condition from both a playability and player safety perspective," a statement read.

"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.

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-Credit:Nicolò Campo, LightRocket via Getty Images

"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.

"FIFA's pitch management teams undertake extensive testing and monitoring before every match, including assessments of moisture levels, firmness and overall playing conditions."

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