Alexis Lalas has condemned the chaos outside Hard Rock Stadium ahead of Sunday night’s Copa America final, calling it a “bad look” ahead of the World Cup, which is due to be partly hosted by the United States in 2026.
The start of the high-profile match between Argentina and Colombia was delayed by more than an hour after fans without tickets tried to “force their way” into the venue, causing chaos at entrances around the stadium.
“This is not a good look,” former U.S. defender Lalas said on Fox’s pre-match show. “I understand this is not a good look for CONMEBOL (the organizers of the Copa America) because this is happening under our noses, in our country. It’s not a good look for the United States with less than two years until the World Cup. I have no doubt that FIFA, the U.S., Canada and Mexico will resolve this and make sure this doesn’t happen in the future.”
Sunday’s incident was the second major security breach during the tournament and came just days after another incident when members of the Uruguayan team jumped into the stands to protect their families from spectators after their semi-final match against Colombia.
Even after Sunday’s final began, videos of fans sneaking into the stadium continued to circulate on social media.
One video showed what appeared to be fans wearing Colombia jerseys trying to enter the stadium through an air vent.
Other footage showed fans climbing a fence to enter the stadium.
However, police and stadium security appeared to continue trying to remove fans who had snuck into Hard Rock Stadium without tickets.
A post on X by Fox Sports football reporter Ranken Littman included images of police patrolling the rows inside the stadium.
“As the game progresses security are aggressively entering the stands checking tickets and removing fans. The stands are incredibly crowded. Fans are being hoisted and parents are escorting their children out of the stands,” she posted to X.
The security situation at the Copa has raised major concerns about whether the United States will be able to host the World Cup in 2026.
The Copa America was supposed to be something of a test race for bigger events in the future.
Hard Rock Stadium is one of the venues selected to host World Cup matches, with seven games scheduled to be played at the Dolphins’ home stadium.
