Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac rails against MetLife Stadium grass
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The complaints about the MetLife Stadium field are unrelenting.

Borussia Dortmund, the German soccer club, faced elimination by Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.

“It’s more a golf green, so you can putt here,” manager Niko Kovač said after his side’s 3-2 loss. “It’s very short. But this is not the grass we are used to playing on in the Bundesliga and also in the other two stadiums.”


Niko Kovac looks on during the Borussia Dortmund-Real Madrid match on July 5, 2025.
Niko Kovač looks on during the Borussia Dortmund-Real Madrid match on July 5, 2025. FIFA via Getty Images

MetLife Stadium usually has an artificial turf field when the Giants and Jets play there, but installed grass fields in order to meet FIFA’s regulations for hosting games.

Kovač preferred the grass fields at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“As you saw, the watering wasn’t good enough, I would say, because you don’t have the devices for that,” Kovač said of the MetLife Stadium grass. “When it’s too dry, it’s unbelievable. It’s sticking.”

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NFL players have long complained about the turf fields at MetLife Stadium, and the NFL Players Association last month took notice of the decision to install grass for the Club World Cup, but not for NFL games.

Despite the willingness to install a grass field for other sports, Giants owner John Mara has maintained that it would not be sustainable for football, given two teams play at the stadium, the weather and the large number of other events there.


MetLife Stadium field with "Please Stay Off Grass" sign.
Grass fields were installed at MetLife Stadium for the Club World Cup. REUTERS

“I want to get to the point where the experts can tell us that late in the season we can have a safe, playable grass field, and when we get to that point, then maybe we’ll make the switch,” Mara said at last year’s NFL owners meetings. “We’re not there yet.

“With the amount of events in our building, particularly during the football season, having two teams there, and how many times last year we had back-to-back games where it rained during the first game, I can’t imagine what a grass field would’ve looked like on a second day.”

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