Ticketing, Security Failures Mar Copa America Final in Miami

Screenshot of a video showing a young child in a Colombia shirt crying as she is lifted over a security barrier by her family and a police officer.
Screenshot of a video showing a young child in a Colombia shirt crying as she is lifted over a security barrier by her family and a police officer.

Massive security and ticketing system failures caused chaos at Sunday’s final of the Copa America at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which has raised significant questions regarding the World Cup in two years at venues across North America.

Fans who had paid up to several thousand dollars per seat for the game between Argentina and Columbia were stranded in huge security corrals for hours in searing heat, causing the game’s start to be delayed. Entry gates were eventually opened to anyone with no tickets checked, then closed once the venue reached capacity, locking out many with valid tickets. A statement from Hard Rock Stadium released early Monday morning pointed at “unruly fans without tickets” making repeated attempts to overpower security for causing the mess at entry gates.