Almost a year since the Copa America final nearly ended in tragedy, big numbers of soccer fans are back at Hard Rock Stadium — this time for the Club World Cup with heightened security.
A combined crowd of nearly 120,000 supporters have watched the opening two games staged in Miami. They have been greeted by extra checkpoints and a heavy police presence.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office says lessons have been learned from July of last year when ticketless fans rushed the gates at the home of the Miami Dolphins for a match between Argentina and Colombia, leaving fans terrified and bloodied as security struggled to contain the crush.
The match was delayed an hour, children were in tears and concerns were sparked ahead of two more years of major soccer tournaments being staged in the United States — the Club World Cup this summer and the men’s World Cup in 2026.
This tournament is an early gauge as to how the U.S. will handle fans from 48 countries visiting next year’s World Cup. There has been understandable focus on Miami after the shocking scenes at the Copa America when fans from a sellout crowd were too easily able to force their way into the 65,000-seat Hard Rock Stadium.
“We’ve put extensive measures in place to protect fans, players and staff,” Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said before the tournament. “The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is leading all security efforts for this global event.”
Last year, police had to lift distressed children over barriers to avoid them being crushed, while elsewhere officers tackled to the ground the ticketless fans they could catch in a forlorn attempt to keep the hoards at bay.
Videos showed some fans trying to climb through air vents to gain entry.
Changes made over the past year mean fans for this tournament must pass through three separate checkpoints that enclose the entire campus before getting close to the stadium. Steel fencing is set up around the perimeter.
First up is a ticket check at temporary gates, taking up large parts of the parking lot where tailgate parties might usually take place. Then comes another airport-style screening under tents where bags are checked by X-ray machines. Even flags need to be approved.
Fans were able to get much closer to the stadium before checkpoints at the Copa America.
