France midfielder Adrien Rabiot criticized the MetLife Stadium pitch after France's 3-1 win over Senegal on June 16, saying, "The pitch... I don't even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface - quite hard and quite rigid" [1].
Brazil forward Vinicius Jr had earlier expressed frustration with the pitch conditions following Brazil's 1-1 draw against Morocco on June 13, stating, "In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly. The game becomes very sluggish and we can't get into our rhythm" [2].
France coach Didier Deschamps described the surface as unusual, suggesting it had "probably concrete underneath, it's very short fibres," and noted that the ball's bounce differed from the previous year's FIFA Club World Cup at the same venue [2].
MetLife Stadium, located in New Jersey and with a seating capacity of 78,576, installed a temporary natural grass pitch for the World Cup, replacing its usual artificial turf [1]. The stadium's artificial surface has a poor reputation, having been linked to several serious injuries among NFL players [1].
Senegal is scheduled to play Norway at MetLife Stadium on June 22, marking the next match at the venue following France's victory over Senegal [2, 1, 3, 4]. England will face Panama in their final group game there on June 27 [1]. The stadium is also set to host the World Cup final on July 19 [1, 4].
