Every World Cup brings its share of controversy, and the 2026 edition has had no shortage of it already — on the pitch, off it, and according to William Saliba , with the pitches themselves.
France got their tournament underway against Senegal at MetLife Stadium earlier in the week, and while they ran out convincing 3-1 winners, the result came with a complaint attached.
The Arsenal defender took issue with the turf at the renamed 'New York New Jersey' stadium— the same ground where the final will be played next month. He also detailed an unusual studs decision he was asked to make before kickoff.
Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images
Saliba is one of the standout defenders at the tournament, a Rolls-Royce center-back who rarely loses his footing. But he was not convinced by the surface at the stadium France could very well return to for the final.
He explained the issue to reporters (via Hayters ): "I must admit I was a bit surprised by the state of the pitch for the first match in New York.
"They even asked us whether we wanted to play with molded studs or screwed-in studs, which is unusual as I only play with screwed-in studs, being a defender.
"In the end, I preferred to play with screwed-in studs, but it's clear the pitch was more like artificial turf and it was very hard, but that was that. Once we're there, we've got no choice. We have to play, and it's the same pitch for both teams. But it's clear the pitch wasn't great."
Saliba has a point about the studs. A center-back asking for the grip of screwed-in studs is reasonable, and being made to choose just before a World Cup opener is hardly ideal preparation.
As he admits, though, both sides deal with the same surface, and nothing about it will change before July, with the final around four weeks away.
France won on it anyway. Should they make it back to the venue on July 19th, Saliba will at least know exactly what to expect — and so will whoever lines up across from him.
