Since its opening in 2010, tournament football has been a rarity at MetLife Stadium… until the past few weeks.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded on Wednesday afternoon in East Rutherford, N.J., where Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup Final.

The match took place at the home stadium of the New York Jets and New York Giants, but it did not take place on the Jets’ and Giants’ home field. That is because a grass field was installed for the World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium, a change from the turf field used for NFL games.

Jets running back Breece Hall has made it clear what his preference is.

Taking to X after the World Cup Final, Hall quote-tweeted a post from San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle that read, “Grass looks great at MetLife! Can we keep it that way @NFL?? Would appreciate it thanks”. In response to Kittle, Hall wrote, “PLEASE”, expressing his agreement with Kittle’s sentiment.

NFL players, particularly those for the Jets and Giants, have consistently pushed for grass fields over the past few years. Those calls grew louder during the World Cup, as players across the league saw every NFL stadium involved replace turf with grass.

Over the weekend, NFL stars such as Caleb Williams, Laremy Tunsil, and Zaire Franklin took to social media with the hashtag #WorthTheCost to push for permanent grass playing surfaces.

Five weeks ago, the NFL Players Association released a statement urging owners to make the switch to natural grass.

“The temporary installation of natural grass fields for the World Cup is a choice by certain NFL team owners to do for soccer players what they refuse to do for NFL players,” the NFLPA said in a statement posted to social media five weeks ago. “It’s no longer a question of capability; the technology exists, the expertise exists and the resources exist to install the high-level grass fields that our players overwhelmingly prefer.

“We have seen the meaningful investments made to meet the standard for international athletes and global events. NFL players — who regularly compete on these fields help fund these stadiums and whose work makes the league what it is today — deserve the same commitment to quality grass fields.”

In the same statement, the NFLPA added that “92% of players prefer grass.”

Kittle spoke out against the NFL for implementing grass ahead of the World Cup, but refusing to do so for its own players.

“We’ve made it clear that we prefer grass fields,” he said. “We know it’s better on our bodies. And clearly, we know it’s possible based on everything that went into putting down grass fields for the World Cup in each stadium.

“At this point, it comes down to the NFL making it a priority and choosing to invest in us as players, because our bodies are our business, which they get to capitalize on!”

The NFL’s turf war rages on.