[Saba Sports News] Although the 2026 FIFA World Cup final is yet to be played, FIFA has started selling turf cuttings from the final venue in advance. According to US media, pieces of grass from MetLife Stadium, the host ground of the World Cup final, are now available for purchase on FIFA’s official online store at a price of 450 US dollars per piece. Information posted on FIFA’s official website states each turf specimen measures 17.5 × 17.5 × 17.5, without specifying whether the unit of measurement is inches, centimetres or millimetres. Every piece of turf is encased in premium acrylic and comes with a USB souvenir as a complimentary gift. This merchandise is only eligible for delivery to customers located in the United States, the United Kingdom and European territories, and shipments will not be dispatched until after the World Cup final. It is projected that this commercial initiative will generate an extra 11 million US dollars in revenue for FIFA.
The editor believes that selling turf specimens taken from top-tier match venues is far from unprecedented. FIFA previously put up for sale pieces of the pitch used for the 2025 Club World Cup final, where Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain. That said, numerous players and head coaches from various nations have criticised the poor quality of the playing surface at MetLife Stadium throughout this World Cup.