A video of Senegalese players testing the ball during football training has racked up millions of views across social media. It shows them repeatedly throwing a series of balls into the air and seeing them rebound on the pitch, with the players seemingly surprised that the balls don't bounce.
The footage triggered criticism and concern from football fans online, who said "it completely changes the game" and that "this is going to be the worst World Cup in history". Others mentioned potential effects for players, posting that "a carnival of injuries is coming" and "if you plant your foot wrong, you've ruined your career".
However, there is key context missing from this viral video. It's an authentic clip with no indication it was modified by AI, and was filmed in recent days at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina ahead of a Senegal-US friendly match. However, the stadium where it was filmed is not being used to host World Cup matches across the US, meaning the video isn't necessarily a reflection of the conditions that players will see during the tournament.
Venues like the Bank of America stadium – which is primarily used for NFL matches – are often used for multiple sports, and use temporary turf or grass that can be unrolled before games. It's therefore unlikely to have had the same standards or maintenance as the pitches to be used by FIFA.
The turfgrass researchers hired by FIFA spoke to outlet The Conversation about the strictness of the pitch rules across multiple playing conditions and cities for the games, and how they're confident that all the surface performance tests "met FIFA standards".
That being said, the 2026 World Cup has already seen some controversy. Due to FIFA introducing dynamic pricing for the first time, fans were left with eyewatering ticket prices. There's also been criticism of the "greedy" price hike by US transport authorities during the tournament period, as well as against the "Americanisation" of adding the first ever halftime show.
Political controversies have also been present due to US President Donald Trump's extensive travel ban rendering fans from multiple participating countries unable to visit, as well as uncertainty about Iran's participation amid the ongoing war and concern that ICE agents will be mobilised in US stadiums.
