The New England Patriots are scrambling to replace the turf at Gillette Stadium ahead of this week’s preseason opener after it was deemed ‘noncompliant’ by the NFL.Gillette hosted seven games at this summer’s World Cup, which saw all venues across the United States, Canada and Mexico to put down a FIFA-mandated grass field for the soccer tournament.The turf at Gillette Stadium has been deemed ‘noncompliant’ by the NFLGettyFollowing the final knockout fixture between France and Morocco on July 9 in Foxborough, that natural surface was pulled up, and an artificial turf field was put back in.But ahead of New England’s first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night, a new field is being installed.According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the surface installed was vetted by the Patriots and the New England Revolution earlier this year — and passed all NFL and MLS field tests.However, the field was deemed noncompliant by the NFL.NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.SIGN UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.Patriots forced into major turf change ahead of preseason openerJim Nolan, the chief operating officer for Kraft Sports and Entertainment, revealed the decision was based on ‘independent laboratory testing protocols.’“According to Nolan, the noncompliance was based on the NFL and NFL Players Association independent laboratory testing protocols,” Reiss wrote.“When the new field was lab tested last March, it was paired with an ‘E-layer,’ which is a rubber shock pad that sits underneath the field system, as the lab testing was conducted over concrete.“The artificial turf/E-layer combination, however, was not suitable for Gillette Stadium, where the artificial turf is laid over a stone-dust base, and not concrete.“As the field system was not installed over an E-layer, it was deemed noncompliant despite passing all NFL field tests.”Speaking of the situation, Nolan insisted: “We are confident the field would have passed if they had tested it in March without a pad, even over concrete.”A grass surface was used at Gillette Stadium for this summer’s World CupGettyThe artificial field that was put down after has been ripped up againGettyStill, a new surface is now being installed ahead of the game against the Colts.“The field we’re installing is the latest version of the field we took out in January,” Nolan added.“From a player perspective, it will be incredibly consistent with what they played on last year.”Is the Patriots vs Colts preseason game in danger of being canceled?With the Patriots hosting the Colts on Thursday, the clock is ticking for the Gillette Stadium crew.If the new field isn’t ready in time, or doesn’t pass the NFL’s tests, the preseason opener could be called off.A canceled game would be a rare occurrence, but it’s not unheard of.The Pats will hope their preseason opener can still go aheadGettyThe 2016 Hall of Fame game, which also featured Indianapolis, was called off at the last minute for unsafe playing conditions.