NFL stadiums use both artificial turf and real grass, with the choice shaped by factors such as climate, stadium design, event schedules, maintenance, and field performance requirements.
The topic received renewed attention in 2026, when several NFL venues that normally use artificial turf temporarily installed natural grass for FIFA World Cup matches before returning to their regular NFL playing surfaces. At the same time, the NFL introduced updated requirements for playing surfaces, putting greater emphasis on measurable field performance and consistency.
So, which NFL stadiums use artificial turf, which use real grass, and what factors influence that choice?
In this article:
Which NFL Stadiums Use Turf or Grass?
For the 2026 NFL season, 14 of the league’s 30 primary stadiums use artificial turf, serving 16 teams. The other 16 stadiums use natural grass or hybrid grass systems. The league has 32 teams but 30 primary stadiums because the New York Giants and New York Jets share MetLife Stadium, while the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers share SoFi Stadium.
NFL Stadiums with Artificial Turf
| NFL Team(s) | Stadium | Surface |
| Atlanta Falcons | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Artificial turf |
| Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | Artificial turf |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Paycor Stadium | Artificial turf |
| Dallas Cowboys | AT&T Stadium | Artificial turf |
| Detroit Lions | Ford Field | Artificial turf |
| Houston Texans | NRG Stadium | Artificial turf |
| Indianapolis Colts | Lucas Oil Stadium | Artificial turf |
| Los Angeles Rams / Chargers | SoFi Stadium | Artificial turf |
| Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank Stadium | Artificial turf |
| New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | Artificial turf |
| New Orleans Saints | Caesars Superdome | Artificial turf |
| New York Giants / Jets | MetLife Stadium | Artificial turf |
| Seattle Seahawks | Lumen Field | Artificial turf |
| Tennessee Titans | Nissan Stadium | Artificial turf |
Several of these venues, including SoFi Stadium, MetLife Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AT&T Stadium, NRG Stadium, Gillette Stadium, and Lumen Field, temporarily used natural grass during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Their regular NFL playing surfaces returned afterward.
NFL Stadiums with Real Grass or Hybrid Grass
| NFL Team(s) | Stadium | Surface |
| Arizona Cardinals | State Farm Stadium | Natural grass |
| Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | Natural grass |
| Buffalo Bills | Highmark Stadium | Natural grass |
| Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Natural grass |
| Cleveland Browns | Huntington Bank Field | Natural grass |
| Denver Broncos | Empower Field at Mile High | Natural grass |
| Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Hybrid grass |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | EverBank Stadium | Natural grass |
| Kansas City Chiefs | GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium | Natural grass |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Allegiant Stadium | Natural grass |
| Miami Dolphins | Hard Rock Stadium | Natural grass |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | Hybrid grass |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Acrisure Stadium | Natural grass |
| San Francisco 49ers | Levi’s Stadium | Natural grass |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | Natural grass |
| Washington Commanders | Northwest Stadium | Natural grass |
The Buffalo Bills also changed surfaces for the 2026 season, moving from artificial turf at their former stadium to natural grass at the new Highmark Stadium.
Why Do NFL Stadiums Use Artificial Turf?
Artificial turf can offer practical advantages for stadiums that need a highly available and engineered playing surface.
Frequent Use
A natural-grass field needs time to recover after heavy use. This can become more demanding when a stadium hosts football games alongside concerts, soccer matches, or other events.
Synthetic turf does not depend on biological recovery in the same way. For multi-purpose venues with busy schedules, this can make it easier to keep the field available for frequent use.
Stadium Conditions
Natural grass depends on sunlight, temperature, water, drainage, and other growing conditions. These factors can be more difficult to manage in enclosed or partially enclosed stadiums.
Artificial turf does not rely on plant growth, so it can be a practical option where the stadium environment makes natural-grass management more challenging.
Engineered Surface Performance
Modern artificial turf is a complete playing system rather than simply a layer of synthetic fibers. Fiber construction, infill, backing, shock-absorbing components where used, drainage, installation, and maintenance can all affect how the field performs.
That also means not all synthetic turf fields perform the same way. Surface construction and field condition matter.
Why Do NFL Stadiums Use Real Grass?
Real grass remains widely used across the NFL, particularly at outdoor venues where climate and field-management conditions support natural turf.
Player preference is one factor. The NFL Players Association has repeatedly advocated for natural grass, making surface choice a prominent issue in discussions around NFL playing fields.
Natural grass also offers a playing surface with characteristics that differ from synthetic systems. At the same time, maintaining an NFL-quality grass field requires intensive field management.
Grounds crews may need to manage irrigation, mowing, nutrition, aeration, recovery, and seasonal conditions. Weather can also affect field firmness, traction, and overall playability.
Choosing real grass therefore does not eliminate field-management challenges; it changes the type of management required.
Can NFL Stadiums Switch from Artificial Turf to Natural Grass?
Yes. The 2026 FIFA World Cup demonstrated that NFL venues normally configured with artificial turf can temporarily operate with natural-grass fields and later return to synthetic turf for the NFL season.
Seven NFL stadiums made this temporary switch for World Cup matches. FIFA’s pitch-management teams had to work around different stadium environments, climates, schedules, and installation conditions to prepare tournament-ready fields.
The conversion was more involved than simply replacing the visible playing surface. FIFA used reinforced natural-grass systems, with synthetic fibers stitched into the pitches to improve consistency and durability. At some venues, the preparation also involved engineered base layers, irrigation systems, sand, and supplemental lighting to support the grass in demanding stadium environments.
After the tournament, the affected venues returned to their regular NFL playing surfaces. The 2026 World Cup showed that major stadiums can adapt their field systems temporarily when a different competition requires a different playing surface.
Artificial Turf vs. Natural Grass: What’s the Difference?
Neither artificial turf nor real grass is a single uniform surface. Performance depends on the specific system, field condition, environment, and maintenance program.
| Consideration | Artificial Turf | Natural Grass |
| Field availability | Well suited to frequent use | Requires recovery after heavy use |
| Growing conditions | Not dependent on plant growth | Influenced by sunlight, temperature, water, and weather |
| Maintenance | Requires specialized turf maintenance | Requires intensive field management |
| Heavy event schedules | Can support frequent use | Recovery time can be more important |
| Surface construction | Engineered system with defined components | Living surface influenced by grass type and growing conditions |
| Field consistency | Performance can be designed and monitored through specific surface characteristics | Can vary with weather, season, and field condition |
For stadium operators, the choice is therefore less about one surface being universally better and more about which system fits the venue’s requirements.
Is Artificial Turf Less Safe Than Natural Grass?
Safety is an important part of the NFL’s playing-surface discussion, but the league does not treat surface type alone as a complete explanation for player injury risk.
The NFLPA has continued to advocate for natural grass, while the NFL has focused on evaluating both natural and synthetic fields through field testing, engineering measurements, player feedback, and injury data.
NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills said the league has not found statistically significant differences in lower-extremity injuries or concussions attributable to surface type. He also noted that factors such as player load, fatigue, previous injuries, and footwear can contribute to injury risk.
This is one reason the NFL’s current approach focuses increasingly on the measurable properties of individual playing surfaces rather than treating all turf or all grass as the same.
How Does the NFL Evaluate Synthetic Turf?
Beginning with the 2026 season, the NFL introduced updated playing-surface requirements developed with the NFLPA through the Joint Surfaces Committee. The requirements apply across natural, synthetic, and hybrid fields, with all NFL stadiums expected to comply by the start of the 2028 season.
For new synthetic turf installations, the NFL’s Mandatory Practices specify a product screening and testing process. Two of the key measurements involve:
BEAST
The Biomechanical Elite Athlete Shoe-Turf Tester (BEAST) evaluates the interaction between footwear and the playing surface. For new synthetic turf installations covered by the NFL requirements, the specified peak-torque criterion is 180 Nm or lower.
STRIKE
The STRIKE impact tester measures the impact response of the playing surface. The NFL specifies a peak-g range of 45–90g for new synthetic turf installations covered by the requirements.
The NFL also addresses consistency within synthetic turf systems, including requirements related to infill depth. Together, these measures show a broader shift toward evaluating playing surfaces through measurable performance characteristics.
A 2026 example at Gillette Stadium showed how these requirements can affect actual field installations. After the FIFA World Cup, the stadium replaced its temporary natural-grass field with synthetic turf, but that new turf was later replaced after it did not satisfy specific NFL laboratory testing protocols under the conditions at the venue.
What Should Stadiums Consider When Choosing a Playing Surface?
The NFL example shows that stadium surface selection involves more than choosing between artificial turf and real grass.
Key considerations include:
Climate and venue conditions
Can natural grass grow, recover, and remain playable under the stadium’s environmental conditions?
Usage and event schedules
How often will the field be used, and how much recovery time is available between events?
Maintenance capabilities
What level of equipment, labor, expertise, and ongoing care can the venue support?
Sport-specific requirements
What traction, impact response, ball interaction, durability, and other characteristics are required for the sport?
Testing and standards
Which governing-body testing, certification, or performance requirements apply to the project?
These considerations extend beyond the NFL. Football, field hockey, tennis, and padel all have different playing requirements, which is why sports turf systems are developed around sport-specific performance expectations rather than a single universal specification.
Sports Turf Solutions for Different Playing Requirements
CCGrass develops synthetic turf systems for American football, football, field hockey, tennis, padel, and other sports applications, with experience across requirements associated with FIFA, FIH, World Rugby, ITF, and FEP.
Our sports turf solutions are developed around the performance, usage, and environmental requirements of each sport and playing environment.
