World Cup Pitches Under Fire

France’s Adrien Rabiot and manager Didier Deschamps weren’t impressed with MetLife Stadium’s pitch, calling it hard, artificial, and unnaturally rigid — a sentiment echoed by Brazil’s Vinicius Junior, who said the heat dried it out and disrupted play. While the stadium typically hosts NFL games on synthetic turf, FIFA mandated natural grass for all World Cup matches this year, a shift following years of controversy, including a 2015 lawsuit by nearly 50 players over artificial surfaces. European players like Reece James have also criticized U.S. pitches for feeling like “astro under grass,” raising concerns about player safety and performance — especially for teams unaccustomed to playing outside Europe, where South American teams have dominated World Cups held abroad. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/d44d36cf244493c0