Why MetLife Stadium’s grass is threatening Argentina vs Spain World Cup Final

4 min readUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 03:05 PM The 2026 FIFA World Cup final has set up a stellar clash of continents and contrasts on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — the best of Europe, Spain, taking on Argentina, the defending champions from South America.
For the first time in hory, the reigning European and Copa America winners are going up against each other in a World Cup final. While there are interesting subplots within the summit clash featuring Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, and others, there is an unlikely threat that is challenging their dominance – the very grass on which the ball will roll for at least 90 minutes on Sunday.
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Why has FIFA’s MetLife Stadium pitch raised concerns?
Brazil and Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior called it dry. France midfielder Adrian Rabiot even wondered if one could label it a “pitch”. Rabiot’s coach Didier Deschamps certainly thought the grass at the MetLife Stadium was ‘special’ and ‘different’ during the group-stage action over the last month.
Having kept aside the 82,500-seater venue for the last fortnight to prepare itself for the final, FIFA’s pitch development and maintenance unit is hoping that the grass will not affect the dynamics on Sunday, at least as much as it did earlier in the tournament.
“Because of the weather and the heat, the grass dries out quickly and the game ends up being very slow,” Vinicius had told TNT Sports Brazil after his side was locked in a 1-1 group-stage draw against Morocco at the venue. “We can’t build up a rhythm.
“That makes things difficult because we want to play. We want to move the ball from one side to the other, and this disrupts our game. But we have to adapt because I believe it will be like this all tournament. Everyone will have to play on the same surfaces.”Story continues below this ad
Brazil’s Vinicius Junior led the criticism of the MetLife Stadium pitch during the group stages of the ongoing World Cup. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
France’s Rabiot did not hold back either despite his side thumping Senegal 3-1. “The pitch — I don’t even know if you can call it that,” he said. “It felt more like an artificial surface. Quite hard and quite rigid.”
Will the pitch be ready for World Cup final?
Alan Ferguson, who is overseeing pitch development for FIFA at the World Cup, told the Athletic that the organisers are confident that the grass will not turn up to be a specific talking point during the final. Preparations have been in full swing to get the grass on point for the finale ever since July 5, when Norway knocked Brazil out of the World Cup with a 2-1 win at the venue.
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Ferguson said the concerns with the pitch was due to a calculated punt the organisers had taken in prioritising “warm-season” grass chosen over a “cooler-season” pitch at the New Jersey venue as opposed to the surfaces in other cities. The Bermuda grass surface is expected to withstand harsher temperatures for a longer duration, making it the preferred choice for the World Cup final venue.Story continues below this ad
“We knew from the Club World Cup (last summer, which also used a temporary grass pitch laid on top of MetLife’s artificial one) that the temperature swing can happen quite quickly in New York. I had the option to put in the cool-season grass, which would have been fine, but it was a huge gamble and one I didn’t want to take,” Ferguson told the Athletic.
Despite the criticism, the MetLife pitch has been rated as the fourth-best of all 16 venues at this edition according to FIFA. “It (MetLife) has consently tested as the fourth-top pitch out of 16 right through the tournament from start to finish,” Ferguson said. “We’re really pleased with all the pitches, but particularly that one, because it has the heaviest load.”