Jason Kelce has revealed his least favorite NFL stadium to play in, and his admission involves a stadium that will be frequently used during the 2026 World Cup.
Kelce, who retired this offseason after a sparkling 13-year NFL career with the Eagles, was speaking on Andrew Santino’s ‘Whiskey Ginger’ podcast when he had some harsh words regarding the the final site for the forthcoming tournament.
‘I hated MetLife [Stadium], he said. ‘And we had a lot of success there, we won a lot of games. The field was absolutely atrocious for years. They just re-did the turf, it’s a little bit better. But it was really, really bad.
‘Turf sucks, but in particular… they had bad turf.’
MetLife will host a total of eight games during the World Cup, and will also host several during this summer’s Copa America.
Jason Kelce said he ‘hated’ playing at MetLife Stadium as a member of the Eagles
Kelce is seen walking off the MetLife field for what would be the last time, in January 2024
Many players have complained about MetLife’s slit film turf in previous years (which was recently replaced), with a host of non-contact lower body injuries occurring on the field in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
However, MetLife – which was selected for the World Cup 2026 final in February – is expected to use grass for both the World Cup and Copa America before going back to grass for the Giants and Jets.
Kelce also offered his opinions on several other stadiums, saying that the Packers’ Lambeau Field ‘has awful infrastructure, but it’s the coolest thing in the world. You’re walking down a hallway, that you can’t walk side by side with somebody because it’s so narrow.’
The opposite is true of the Cowboys’ stunning $1.3billion AT&T Stadium, though Kelce didn’t love playing in Dallas either.
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‘Dallas, I never liked,’ he began. ‘Dallas just feels the least like you’re at an NFL stadium. It just feels different. You’re more of an entertainer than a football player.’
Kelce also shared his thoughts on the Ram’s SoFi Stadium, which he said felt like a ‘home game’ for the Eagles.
‘The NFL, no matter where you play is gonna be packed,’ he said. And the places that aren’t packed you kind of love playing there because they’re packed with Eagles fans, because they travel well and they just buy up all the tickets. Whenever we play in LA… it’s a home game. ‘
Kelce, seen playing at AT&T Stadium, also said Dallas ‘feels the least like an NFL stadium.’
SoFi, AT&T and MetLife were considered the leading contenders for the 2026 final before FIFA made its final decision in February.
In the same episode of ‘Whiskey Ginger,’ Kelce said he was ‘nervous’ ahead of starting his new gig with ESPN on Monday Night Football.
‘Every game I ever played in my life, that I played really well [in], I was nervous for, at least a healthy amount. Not like to the point where you think you can’t do it, but there’s a healthy amount of respect for your opponent… whenever I played a really good player I always felt like I played better, because all week I was really into preparing for this guy.
‘When you put more effort into it because of that nervousness, I think it usually results in a better product,’ he continued. ‘Now, once you’re out there you can’t be nervous, you just gotta go, but I think it’s healthy to be nervous with where I’m at right now.
