Women's World Cup surface lawsuit dropped

A group of top women's soccer players have withdrawn a gender discrimination lawsuit aimed at not being forced to play this year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada on artificial turf.

Being forced to play the event on the surface, which has drawn complaints over injury worries and true rolls and bounces of the ball, irked the women given the men's World Cup is played on natural grass.

That sparked the lawsuit against world governing body FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) filed last year with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Attorneys for the players said they were forced to drop the lawsuit in part due to delaying tactics by FIFA and the CSA so the 24 teams - including Australia's Matildas - could have enough time to train on the proper surface for the global showdown that opens June 6.

"On behalf of the players, I want to thank all who aided our fight for natural grass fields at the 2015 World Cup including our volunteer lawyers from Canada and the United States," US star Abby Wambach said in a statement.

"Our legal action has ended but I am hopeful that the players' willingness to contest the unequal playing fields -- and the tremendous public support we received during the effort -- marks the start of even greater activism to ensure fair treatment when it comes to women's sports."

Wambach was joined in the complaint by several other top players, including US striker Alex Morgan, Germany's Nadine Angerer and Spain's Veronica Boquete.

Even actor Tom Hanks took up the players' cause, saying last year on Twitter: "Opinion: Women's World Cup is the best Soccer of the year. Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Hanx."

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke praised the desire of the women even as his group had fought against their goal of natural grass for the event.

"Over the last months we, myself included, have personally engaged with players and technical staff from the qualified teams to address their concerns and doubts," he said.

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Women's World Cup surface lawsuit dropped