Riots at Copa America gates in Miami prevent ticketed fans from entering match

Ticketed fans faced “massive chaos” and “unrest” at the Copa America final near Miami on Monday, with dozens of paying customers barred from entering the stadium after rioters invaded the pitch, officials said.

The thrilling match, which Argentina won in extra time over Colombia, began almost late Sunday night due to chaos at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, where the match was scheduled to take place at 11:30 p.m. A venue set to host the 2026 World Cup..

“I’ve been to the Hard Rock many times and I expected to find a very safe environment,” said Dr. Manuel Fonseca, a fan who had tickets to the game but was unable to attend with his pregnant wife. “But when I got there it was chaos.”

The scene outside the Hard Rock was out of control, according to fan Rebecca Huang.

“It was total chaos. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Huang told NBC News.

Once unticketed fans stormed in, “some gates were strategically closed and reopened in an effort to allow ticketed guests to enter safely and in a controlled manner,” according to a statement from Hard Rock Stadium Operators on monday.

Hard Rock’s statement added that closing the gates only led to more problems as some unruly fans continued to “engage in illegal behavior – fighting police officers, breaking walls and barriers and vandalizing the stadium.”

Once the stadium reached capacity, officials said they had no choice but to bar fans from entering, even those with tickets.

“We understand that there are frustrated ticket holders who have been unable to enter the stadium following the perimeter closure, and we will work in partnership with South American Football Confederation “To address those individual concerns,” according to a Hard Rock Stadium statement.

“Ultimately, nothing is more important than the health and safety of all guests and employees, and that will always remain our priority.”

Hwang said she felt bad for her children, ages 6 and 9, who spent months learning about the teams and following the competition before traveling across the country to Florida — only to be treated “like criminals.”

“There wasn’t much explanation, as we saw people illegally occupying our seats in the stadium, and we enjoyed our seats, and we weren’t even near a bottle of water or paramedics,” said Huang, a lecturer at Stanford University. “We, the ticket holders, were treated like criminals, behind fences.”

Ticket-holding fans wandered from gate to gate, desperately hoping someone would let them in.

“There were so many people in the same situation, hundreds of people milling around at every exit. Frustration is an understatement,” Huang said.

Fonseca and his wife continued to walk around the stadium, but gave up after hearing Shakira starts performing During the break.

“There’s no way we’re going to get in,” Fonseca said he thought to himself at that moment.

The game was scheduled to start at 8 p.m., but with the gates crowded, officials pushed the kickoff back — first to 8:30 p.m., then 8:45 p.m. and finally 9:15 p.m. before the game finally got underway at around 9:22 p.m.

Fonseca questioned whether stadium managers were qualified to manage the World Cup in two years.

“It would be crazier and I don’t think they would be prepared if it was like what we just saw yesterday,” he told NBC Miami.