Key Points
- France coach Didier Deschamps called the MetLife Stadium pitch "really tough" on muscles.
- He cited a concrete slab underneath and very short grass fibers.
- Brazil's Vinícius Júnior and France's Adrien Rabiot raised similar complaints.
- FIFA said all 16 World Cup pitches remain in "excellent condition."
France beat Senegal 3-1 at MetLife Stadium, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice, but Didier Deschamps spent part of the aftermath talking about the grass. The France coach called the playing surface "really tough" on players' muscles — the latest and most pointed entry in a complaint that has shadowed the New Jersey venue since before the tournament began.
The problem with the pitch
Deschamps pointed to the construction: a concrete slab underneath means the grass fibers are very short, and the bounce shifts depending on how much the surface is watered. Midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who played all 90 minutes against Senegal, voiced the same frustration. It is not only a France complaint — Brazil's Vinícius Júnior said that in the second-half heat the pitch dries out fast and the game turns sluggish, a verdict he reached after Brazil's opening draw with Morocco at the same stadium.
MetLife hosts the July 19 final
MetLife is not a peripheral venue. It hosts a full slate of group games, knockout matches, and the final on July 19, which makes the surface a tournament-defining variable rather than a one-night gripe — and the concern is not new, having been flagged about the stadium a year before the tournament began. The practical worry is tactical as much as physical: a pitch that grabs and then dries out in the afternoon heat slows the quick passing that favorites like France and Brazil are built around, flattening exactly the teams the schedule keeps sending there. FIFA has pushed back, insisting the pitches at all 16 World Cup stadiums "remain in excellent condition from both a playability and player safety perspective." With the biggest matches still to come at MetLife, the gap between what players feel underfoot and what organizers will concede is only going to draw more scrutiny.
Source: Sports Illustrated, amNewYork, Yahoo Sports
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