FIFA issue clear response amid growing stadium concerns and calls to move 2026 World Cup final

Questions continue to mount over the playing surface at the New York New Jersey Stadium – better known as MetLife Stadium – even as FIFA insists there are no concerns ahead of the venue hosting the 2026 World Cup final.

Several high‑profile players and coaches have criticised the temporary grass laid over the NFL field, with several describing it as closer to an artificial surface than a true football pitch.

What has FIFA said about the MetLife Stadium concerns?

Brazil star Vinicius Junior was among the first to voice concerns after his side's draw with Morocco, claiming the grass dried out quickly and made it difficult to build any rhythm during matches.

France manager Didier Deschamps also described it as a “special surface”, while midfielder Adrien Rabiot went even further, saying it felt “more like an artificial pitch” and was “hard and rigid”.

Fans have even been calling for the final to move from the venue, but despite the criticism, FIFA has firmly rejected suggestions that there is a problem, via The Athletic.

In a statement, world football's governing body said it had spent more than five years researching and testing surfaces across all 16 World Cup venues and insisted the pitches remain in “excellent condition” from both a playability and player safety perspective.

FIFA also addressed comments about the visual appearance of certain areas of the grass, stating that differences seen on television or in person do not necessarily reflect the health or quality of the playing surface.

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The challenge for FIFA is that the complaints are no longer coming from one isolated source.

When fans, players from Brazil and France, along with a World Cup-winning coach like Deschamps, are all raising similar concerns, questions are inevitably going to be asked about a stadium due to host the biggest match in world football.

FIFA's stance remains clear that there is no issue, but scrutiny will only intensify as more teams play there.

With England still scheduled to face Panama at the stadium and the World Cup final looming in July, many will be watching closely to see whether the criticism fades away or grows louder.

For now, the final is going nowhere, but the debate over whether the surface is truly worthy of hosting it certainly is not.