Last year, over 40 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup players from twelve different countries filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against FIFA. The gist of the lawsuit was that no World Cup in the men’s game has been played on an artificial grass, a surface that poses a number of health and injury risks. While artificial turf is easier and more cost-efficient to maintain, the player experience is exponentially worse than natural grass. The group of players proposed FIFA change a number of the locations to stadiums in Canada with real grass. However, FIFA never budged, and they retracted their lawsuit.
Women’s World Cup Turf Still Poses Risks, Despite Advanced System
