NFL players are ramping up their efforts to convince the league to implement natural grass fields in all 32 stadiums. This comes ahead of the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, when Lamine Yamal and Spain face Lionel Messi and Argentina at the ‘hideous’ MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.The New York New Jersey Stadium will host Spain and Argentina for football’s biggest prizeGettyAs per FIFA‘s regulations, all host venues for this summer’s tournament were required to lay down natural grass surfaces, including NFL stadiums such as AT&T Stadium in Dallas and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, who otherwise use artificial grass during an NFL season.The fresh, natural grass was transported carefully all across the country in refrigerated trucks and then laid down meticulously. With Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and MetLife in New Jersey the only stadiums left to host the final two World Cup matches this summer, other arenas, like Gillette Stadium in Boston, have already begun reverting back to an artificial playing surface.But this has come much to the majority of NFL players’ dismay – 92 percent in fact – with the NFL Players’ Association having lobbied for a permanent change to grass playing surfaces for a number of years now. With NFL owners agreeing to change surfaces, albeit only temporarily, for the world’s best soccer players, NFL players have been left questioning why they are not willing to change it for them – the very core of the rich business that is the NFL.Players have often cited that they feel synthetic turf can cause more frequent – and more devastating – injuries, and the NFLPA put a spotlight on this point of view on the eve of the World Cup’s first game on June 11. “When the World Cup ends, many of these same stadiums will go back to turf despite 92% of NFL players preferring natural grass,” the NFLPA said in a statement on June 10.“If these extensive field changes are worth the cost for a month-long tournament, why aren’t they worth the cost for the NFL players who primarily compete in these stadiums?”NFL players take to X in united call for actionThe call for change has only continued to grow louder throughout the course of the tournament. On June 26, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, via NFLPA, said, “We’ve made it clear that we prefer grass fields. We know it’s better on our bodies.Gillette Stadium in Boston was praised for its playing surface at the World CupGettySome gruesome injuries in the NFL have occurred on fields that use artificial turfGettyView Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/WorthTheCost?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw“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!”On Friday, a myriad of players took to social media to join the cause for change, using the online hashtag #WorthTheCost, expressing to NFL owners their desire for permanent grass playing surfaces. “If stadiums can make grass work for the World Cup, they can make it work for NFL players. We’re #WorthTheCost,” Washington Commanders tackle Tunsil wrote in a post on X.“We know grass is possible because we’ve seen stadiums make the change. Players are #WorthTheCost,” Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen wrote.Green Bay Packers are spoiled since we play on the greatest surface in the NFL. Natural grass is the best, and should be the only surface we play on. We are #WorthTheCost,” Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft posted.View Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/worththecost?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwNatural grass isn’t out of reach. Prioritizing players shouldn’t be either! We’re #WorthTheCost,” Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor added.At some point, with the attention on the grass vs. turf debate seemingly louder than ever before, NFL owners have to both acknowledge and listen, right? That remains to be seen as at the end of the day, the NFL is a business, and it’s cheaper for owners to roll out the artificial stuff in the long-run. Whether those costs outweigh how much money teams lose if a superstar player goes down with injury, though, is up for debate. Stay up to date on all things NFL across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.