Gillette Stadium Switched From Turf to Grass For World Cup

Later tonight, the first FIFA World Cup game ever to be played in Gillette Stadium will kick off. Haiti and Scotland will do battle in the first of seven games scheduled to be played in Foxboro at the newly-renamed Boston Stadium summer.

As part of that, the home of the New England Patriots has undergone plenty of renovations. No, not the Super Bowl banners -- the ones that plenty of people were worried about being covered up for the matches. Those will remain untouched, as will the team's home locker room. It's what they play on that's going to look different.

After last season ended, the turf field was ripped up and replaced with grass for the soccer matches. It's technically called "sod-on-plastic," a rolled-up field that was installed over the last few months. It's being put into stadiums across the country for the games, only to be reverted back once the NFL season ramps up again.

Out of the 11 host cities in the United States, seven of them are getting this "sod-on-plastic" to use for the matches over their turf fields.

The grass vs. turf debate has always been one of hot contention throughout the league. It's clear that the players prefer grass as their primary playing surface, as a recent survey put out by the NFLPA showed that 92% of players sided with the natural stuff.

So while the soccer players from across the globe will get to play in Foxboro on grass, the Patriots won't. Once the World Cup is concluded -- the final game played at Gillette is scheduled for July 9 -- the grounds crew will go back to work re-installing the turf. This is what gets under the skin of the Players Association.

New England Patriots mascot, Pat Patriot — Brazil soccer fans pose with Slyde the Fox, the New England Revolution mascot, and Pat Patriot, the New England Patriots mascot, outside Gillette Stadium in Foxboro ahead of the Brazil-France FIFA International Match on March 26, 2026. | Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"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 an online statement. "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."

So how do the Patriots feel about it personally? It's clear that one surface is liked a lot more.

Patriots Feel Pretty One-Sided About Playing Surfaces

"Playing on grass is a lot less taxing on the knees and ankles and joints like that," running back Rhamondre Stevenson said, mentioning that feeling sore is pretty common after games on turf.

"Just speaking personally for myself, I love playing on grass," safety Brenden Schooler said. "I think it’s got more give on it, doesn’t hurt as bad when you fall. When it’s freezing out, it doesn’t cut you up as bad as turf does. You don’t have to worry about turf burn.

"And I think from doing my own research and looking at data and stuff, I think turf — you have the unfortunate thing that you kind of get caught up, and guys get rolled up on, and your knee gets, or ankle gets stuck. And like I was saying, grass has got a little bit more give."

Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots guard Cole Strange (69) is injured and helped off the field as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Gillette Stadium hasn't been a turf field forever. From 2002 to 2006, the surface was all grass. A rainy game against the New York Jets, coupled with the rough New England weather and ever-growing popularity for more than just football games, led ownership to switching it out for artificial turf.

It remained that way until June 2016, where a grass field was rolled out for the Copa América Centenario tournament. After that concluded, it was back to turf for the Patriots. For this year's set of matches, it will be more of the same.

"It's A Little Bit More Harsh On Your Body"

"I've always been a big proponent of playing on grass," safety Kevin Byard said. "Just from being a player who's played on turf and on grass, it's just a longer recovery process. My joints, mainly my ankle joints, take a little bit longer to recover. ... That's the biggest thing I see difference-wise."

"I feel like your cleats come in and out better (on grass)," defensive tackle Milton Williams said. "I feel like you can cut more or cut better."

2026 isn't the first time that World Cup games have been played in Foxboro. Back in 1994, the old Foxboro Stadium played host to six games, including a quarterfinal match. Five years later, the Women's World Cup came to town for six matches.

Dec 3, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) is helped by the athletic staff after an injury on a play against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

This is just the first time that the playing surface will change back to artificial turf after the season is over. Some players, like Byard, have learned how to adjust their bodies when it comes to playing on varying surfaces. Williams says that some turf fields, like the one in New Orleans, are pretty good. But the impending reversal won't do anything about the ongoing conversations when it comes to league-wide grass fields.

Injuries will happen on both playing fields, that's just part of the game. The NFL came out and said that the amount of injuries is nearly identical to each other (0.43 on artificial and 0.42 on grass).

"You talk about longevity, you talk about injuries, you talk about, you know, wanting to make sure your joints feel great," Schooler said. "Playing a game on turf. After, like, not gonna lie — my knees ache, my ankles ache. It’s a little bit more harsh on your body. So, if I have any opportunity to go train, work out, play, run around on grass, I would probably prefer grass."

The argument has shifted in tone. It started with injuries, and has now gone into "why do NFL owners care more about FIFA's regulations than their own players?"

For the time being, the field at Gillette ... Boston Stadium, excuse me, will remain grass. When the Patriots return for their training camp practices, it will look a lot similar to what they're used to -- even if they aren't a fan of it.

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