Steelers Now
FIFA strictly mandated the use of natural grass surfaces for all tournament matches in the World Cup, prohibiting the use of traditional artificial turf. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen, along with many NFL players, wonder why it can’t be the same for NFL games.
“We know grass is possible because we’ve seen stadiums make the change. Players are #WorthTheCost.”
Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward agreed with Queen’s statement on X, posting four megaphone emojis.
Seven NFL stadiums that use artificial turf switched their playing surfaces to grass for FIFA regulations during the World Cup. MetLife Stadium, which is known to have by far the worst playing surface in the league, was one of the stadiums.
Despite NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell saying that 92% of the league’s players prefer grass, half the league has artificial turf.
On Sunday, Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker also posted a broken heart emoji on a post revealing that the natural grass surface installed at Gillette Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially been removed. Going back to artificial turf.
The Steelers play on natural grass at Acrisure Stadium, but there were major issues with the playing surface last year. Earlier this month, Precision Turf shared on X they have finished installing new grass for the field.
Steelers president Art Rooney II confirmed at the NFL Owners Meetings that the team was in the process of replacing Acrisure Stadium’s playing surface. The Steelers’ grass playing surface came under fire again in the 2025 season, with kicker Chris Boswell slipping and missing a field goal and special teams captain Miles Killebrew suffered a season-ending knee injury, which some teammates attributed to the turf.
“Honestly, it was shit,” Heyward said after the game. “I lost one of my teammates and that makes me sad about it. … I like grass, but that wasn’t grass we played on.”
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers also ripped the field conditions in the aftermath of the Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns, calling it “borderline unplayable.”
The field was so bad last year that the Steelers received an F- grade for their home playing surface in the 2026 NFLPA report card, ranking last in the league.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Several Steelers Players Push for Grass Fields after World Cup Mandate
