Colombia and Argentina fans during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 final match between Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium on July 14, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Maddie Meyer | Getty Images
The Copa America soccer final between Argentina and Colombia on Sunday saw chaotic scenes at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami – and raised questions about the United States’ readiness to co-host the 2026 World Cup.
The stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins with a capacity of more than 65,000, was overwhelmed as fans without tickets rushed the gates, passing through security bars and air vents to get inside.
Facilities and barriers were damaged, ticketed fans were pushed from their seats by non-paying crowds and the game was eventually delayed for more than 80 minutes, ending after midnight with Argentina’s victory over Colombia. (A halftime show was also added this year in a first for the league, further expanding the event.)
“It was, without question, not just an embarrassment, it was absurd,” said Anjali Bal, associate professor of entertainment and sports marketing at Babson College.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert said at a news conference Monday that law enforcement is working with organizers and the stadium to make sure the incident doesn’t happen again.
“We put on big events. Well, I’ve never seen anything like what I saw last night, and we’re not going to see it again,” Gilbert said.
A total of 27 arrests were made, including that of Colombia’s soccer federation president Ramon Jesurun and his son, who were charged with assaulting three security guards who prevented them from entering the stadium, according to the arrest warrant.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said it responded to a total of 120 incidents in and around the stadium, 116 of which were for medical calls.
Large crowds of fans try to enter the stadium amid riots before the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 final match between Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium on July 14, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Megan Briggs | Getty Images
“The only fortunate thing here is that no one died, but a lot of people seem to be in a very difficult situation and this was completely avoidable,” Lee Berke, CEO of LHB Sports, Entertainment & Media, told CNBC.
The disaster quickly raised questions about the United States’ readiness for major soccer events, just two years before a world exhibition.
The USA is set to host 78 of the 104 World Cup matches as co-hosts of the 2026 tournament, along with Canada and Mexico. The tournament final is scheduled for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and Hard Rock Stadium, where the Copa final turned chaotic, will host seven matches, including the third-place match.
Chief among the criticisms is what some say was the lack of security checkpoints and an outer perimeter to stop the flow of traffic on the field.
“I think the tournament organizers didn’t prepare properly to handle large crowds that will pour into the stadium,” Berke said.
The South American soccer confederation, CONMEBOL, blasted Hard Rock Stadium in a press release on Monday, saying stadium officials failed to heed security recommendations made by the confederation.
Hard Rock, for its part, said it “implemented and in many cases exceeded CONMEBOL’s safety recommendations.”
World Cup warm-up
While this isn’t the first Copa the United States has hosted — the U.S. first took over hosting duties in 2016 — for many, this championship was seen as a warm-up for the 2026 World Cup.
“Some of the fear is unfairly placed on an event that’s going to happen in two years, but that’s really the only nice thing I can say,” Bal said. “When you have so many problems in dress rehearsal, that’s not good for the production.”
An esteemed one 5 million Fans are expected to travel to the 16 host cities in the US, Canada and Mexico for the 38 days of the tournament, according to the Sports Business Journal.
Burke said he believes the United States is well equipped to handle that volume and that FIFA will run the show well.
“This country has a huge amount of experience running events; there’s probably no more specialized country on Earth, with the people in place, the organizations that know how to run games and keep fans safe,” Berke said. “If this expertise is harnessed, then I’m sure the World Cup will be a huge success.”
Ball noted that the Copa tournament’s mishaps could provide a road map to 2026 World Cup success.
In addition to concerns about the safety of the final match, several American stadiums have also come under fire for issues with the turf, which was installed in the American football stadiums that hosted the games before the tournament. Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni told reporters at a post-match news conference last month that the pitches were not in good condition and were not suitable for players.
“If we look at it, we’ve seen all the problems and now we have teams that are going to deal with turf and teams that are going to deal with safety … then I think you’re going to be able to fix it,” Ball said.
