Seven NFL stadiums are installing grass fields to comply with FIFA regulations for this summer’s World Cup, and Fox Sports’ Stu Holden believes there could be a ripple effect.

Half the league’s stadiums use turf, despite NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell saying that 92% of the league’s players prefer grass.

Despite NFL players begging for grass and being told no, the stadiums had no choice but to, as NFLPA head J.C. Tretter once said, “roll out the green carpet of grass.”

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Workers install the pitch at New York New Jersey Stadium ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 7, 2026. (Charly Triballeau/AFP)

In a media availability on Friday, Tretter said the grass fields will be “a huge conversation” after the tournament, namely in the NFL.

“The fields will play so well that you’re gonna have the NFL players continuing to make more noise about why they don’t have grass in their stadiums and there’s turf, because it can be done,” Holden told reporters on Zoom. “And FIFA has the most stringent, detailed, you know, strict process on what these fields have to play like, because they understand that the grass and the playing surface are the most important part of the game being good.

“If you don’t have a good grass field, that makes it hard to see a good product on the field.”

The NFLPA has released several polls and studies showing that grass has been safer than turf, and Holden can apparently see why that is the case.

Workers install the pitch at New York New Jersey Stadium, temporarily renamed from MetLife Stadium, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 7, 2026. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

STEELERS CAPTAIN CALLS HOME FIELD ‘S—‘ AS PLAYERS COMPLAIN TO NFLPA ABOUT PLAYING SURFACE

“There’s nothing that can replicate what real grass fields, the watering the right way, that for a player is a dream, and something that we all just, you know, turf will never be able to replicate that from a grass perspective.”

It was announced late last year that each NFL team will be provided with “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the 2026 season begins. Any new field will immediately have to meet those standards, and all teams will have two years to achieve them. Both grass and synthetic turf fields will be subject to the new standards.

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 8: A general view of the NFL logo painted on the field prior to the NFL Super Bowl LX football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

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The NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields. The league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said there are no “statistically significant differences” in lower-extremity injuries or concussions that can be attributed to the type of playing surface or a specific surface**, despite** widespread preferences by players for grass fields and complaints about surfaces such as the one at MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play.

Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.

Nepal’s Kushal Bhurtel (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade)

Nepal batter Kushal Bhurtel continued his extraordinary run of form at the Asian Games men’s cricket qualifiers, matching a rare world record with back-to-back T20I centuries just days after hammering six sixes in a single over.The explosive opener produced another breathtaking innings on Thursday as Nepal thrashed Malaysia by 167 runs to strengthen their push for a place in the tournament final.After Malaysia elected to field first, Bhurtel and wicketkeeper-batter Aasif Sheikh launched a ferocious assault at the top of the order. The pair added 134 runs for the opening wicket and raced to three figures before the completion of the seventh over. Nepal’s scoring rate barely slowed thereafter, with the side reaching a staggering 230 for 2 by the end of the 16th over.Aasif provided the early fireworks, smashing 68 from only 24 deliveries before Virandeep Singh eventually ended his innings. However, the spotlight soon belonged entirely to Bhurtel.The left-hander raced to his half-century in just 25 balls and required only another 19 deliveries to convert it into a hundred. He eventually walked back after a sensational knock of 126 from 54 balls, peppered with 14 boundaries and eight sixes.Powered by Bhurtel’s brilliance, Nepal piled up 275 runs before completing a dominant victory. Malaysia never threatened the target and were bowled out for just 108.The century carried added significance for Bhurtel. Having already struck a hundred against China in Nepal’s opening group fixture, he became only the 10th male cricketer in T20I history to register centuries in successive innings.The achievement places him alongside an exclusive group featuring players such as Rilee Rossouw, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Phil Salt.Bhurtel’s remarkable streak began in the tournament opener against China, where he produced one of the most destructive overs seen in international cricket. After reaching his fifty inside eight overs, he targeted left-arm spinner Chen Zhou Yue in the following over and launched all six deliveries for six, with most of the blows sailing straight back over the bowler’s head.Despite the heavy defeat, Malaysia had already secured qualification for the 2026 Asian Games after defeating China earlier in the competition. They will now face Hong Kong, the winners of Group B, in the semi-finals. Nepal, meanwhile, will take on Oman as they continue their quest for gold.For now, though, the tournament belongs to Bhurtel. In the space of four days, he has smashed six sixes in an over, scored consecutive T20I centuries and etched his name into the record books with one of the most explosive batting displays seen in associate cricket.

Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid have won their seventh successive French Open wheelchair doubles title.

The top seeds claimed a 6-2 6-3 victory over Spain’s Martin de la Puente and France’s Stephane Houdet to win their 24th Grand Slam title together.

“This was one of the toughest tournaments we faced when we first started playing doubles with each other and it took us a fair few years to get our hands on this trophy,” Hewett said during the trophy presentation.

“To win seven in a row is some achievement and I just want to say it’s an absolute pleasure to be your doubles partner.”

With the crowd cheering against them, in favour of home hope Houdet, Hewett and Reid produced a clinical performance – hitting 29 winners to their opponents’ 14 and winning 55% of points on the French-Spanish duo’s first serve.

“Big thanks to Alfie, we’ve been a team for a long time now but we are finding new ways to play and new ways to enjoy it,” Reid said.

“It’s a big year in wheelchair tennis. It’s 50 years of the sport and when we see interviews of the people, the guys who created this sport, everyone says they are amazed by where we are now and how far the sport has come.”

Hewett added: “Tennis wins – 50 years of wheelchair tennis, to be on a court like this, having this sort of atmosphere, it’s an absolute pleasure and long may it continue.”

Alex Eala in action during the WTA 125 Birmingham Open. –BIRMINGHAM OPEN PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala ousted Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand, 6-3, 6-2, to secure a spot in the semifinals of the Birmingham Open on Saturday.

Eala overcame a tough challenge from Sawangkaew but found her stride in both sets to arrange a semifinal duel with Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova.

After Sawangkaew took a 2-1 lead in the second set, Eala strung together five straight games to seal the match in one hour and 21 minutes.

It was a similar story in the first set as the tournament’s top seed broke away from a 1-1 deadlock by winning four straight games for a commanding 5-1 advantage.

“I’ll take the experience that I got from this match,” said Eala, who moved within two wins of her second WTA 125 title after capturing the Guadalajara crown last year.

The Filipino tennis star said she took pride in facing a fellow Southeast Asian on the court.

Eala scored a repeat victory over Sawangkaew, whom she defeated in the women’s tennis singles final of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

Eala and Masarova, ranked 132 in the WTA,  will square off for a place in the final later Saturday.

Floyd Mayweather is hailed as a great of both the modern era and in the history of boxing, but four-division world champion and eternal fan-favourite Roberto Duran thinks that ‘TBE’ does not warrant such appreciation, nor his fabled 50-0 professional record.

Mayweather is one of few pound-for-pound talents to hang up the gloves without a loss to his name, praised as one of the most skilled defensive fighters of all time, with his supreme boxing mind outfoxing a host of other elite operators over the course of his career.

However, in the eyes of the aggressive, hard-hitting and fan-friendly Duran, that style doesn’t wash. In an interview with One On One Boxing, ‘Hands of Stone’ labelled Mayweather as ‘weak’, declaring that he would have been able to give the Michigander his first taste of defeat.  

“Mayweather, for me, is a boxer that is weak. He doesn’t like being hit to the body and as soon as he gets hit there, he turns into Road Runner and I have much more experience than him, [so, I would beat him].”

Continuing, Duran went on to state that he believes Mayweather has truly been beaten on three occasions during his career; insinuating that José Luis Castillo, Oscar De La Hoya and Marcos Maidana should each have been awarded a victory in their controversial bouts with the American.

“He fought a Mexican, the Mexican beat him, but they gave it to Mayweather. Then he fought another, he lost but he got the decision. I believe that he has lost three fights, but they have gifted him those wins.” 

Mayweather may still lose his beloved unbeaten record, which is expected to be on the line in a professional rematch with Manny Pacquiao this September, when he ends a nine-year run of inactivity. 

On Monday, the NFL had one of its wilder days in recent memory, as the Los Angeles Rams acquired superstar defender Myles Garrett and receiver A.J. Brown was shipped to the New England Patriots.

Unsurprisingly, those deals dominate the NFL conversation this week, with training camp still more than a month away.

Alex Kay of Bleacher Report compiled a list of blockbuster trade ideas. Those included Maxx Crosby, Sam LaPorta, Jonathan Taylor, and Brian Thomas Jr., as well as one Vikings standout. Kay proposed a deal that would send Justin Jefferson to the Buffalo Bills to unite him with Josh Allen, the MVP of the 2024 season.

His proposal: “Minnesota Vikings receive: 2027 first-, second- and fourth-round picks, 2028 third- and fifth-round picks”

That’s a lot of draft capital. In fact, it’s almost an entire draft in exchange for Jefferson.

Kay explained, “A team all-in on winning a Super Bowl this coming season would be the ideal suitor for Jefferson. The Buffalo Bills would be an intriguing choice after they came up painfully short last season. While they did trade for DJ Moore to bolster an undermanned receiving corps, they failed to land a true needle-mover to pair with star QB Josh Allen.”

“An Allen-Jefferson battery could put up historic numbers akin to what Randy Moss and Tom Brady accomplished with the 2007 New England Patriots. It would cost the Bills a haul of future picks to bring the tandem together, but doing so would give the club perhaps its best shot yet at a championship.”

Moss set the still-standing NFL record for receiving touchdowns with 23 in 2007, in one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history. Jefferson has been among the premier players in football since entering the league, while Josh Allen is an elite passer.

From a Bills perspective, pairing the two greats makes sense. For the Vikings, one could argue either way.

Why the Vikings Should Hang Up

The case against a Jefferson trade is simple. He’s great and the goal is to have great players.

Jefferson has accumulated 8,480 receiving yards in six seasons, the most a player has ever had through his first six campaigns. Furthermore, he still holds the records for the most yards in the first two, three, four, and five seasons.

He’s a true nightmare for defenses, who have to build their entire game plan around his presence. Just as valuable an asset is his team-first mindset. There haven’t even been glimpses of the so-called diva-mentality.

Jefferson is the franchise player and one of the brightest stars in the league. The Vikings should support him, not send him elsewhere.

Why the Vikings Should Listen

Now, it should be said that while all of that is true, the team’s success hasn’t been there. Kay even noted, “The Minnesota Vikings have built their offense around Justin Jefferson, but they haven’t found much playoff success even with the superstar receiver making some herculean efforts. During his six years in the Twin Cities, the Vikings have made the playoffs just twice and failed to win a game during either trip.”

Having an elite wideout hasn’t translated to playoff success throughout the years. Strong trenches appear to always trump strong perimeter players in January.

The next aspect is the salary. Jefferson signed a then-massive four-year deal in 2024, paying him $35 million per year. With the rising salary cap, that mark has been passed several times, including recently by Drake London. There’s a decent chance Jefferson will seek a raise sooner rather than later, and his cap hits in 2027 and 2028 are already scheduled to be roughly $50 million per year.

The final piece is the added draft capital. This version of the operation hasn’t even sniffed a Super Bowl and the top players aren’t getting any younger. Reloading with five extra picks in 2027 and 2028 could help the Vikings reinforce the roster to an extent that could turn them into contenders.

Bottom Line

At first glance, five draft picks for a wide receiver sounds tempting. In reality, the Vikings would be trading away one of the few players in the NFL who is virtually impossible to replace. Draft picks are lottery tickets. Justin Jefferson is a proven superstar in his prime.

The Vikings can debate roster-building philosophies all they want, but teams spend years searching for players like Jefferson and usually come up empty-handed. Unless the organization decides a full rebuild is necessary, this is the type of phone call that should end with a polite “thanks, but no thanks.”

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.

Janik Eckardt is a German sports nerd, who likes numbers and stats. He chose the Vikings to be his … More about Janik Eckardt