Colombia fans back in Miami after gate crashing. Has stadium security changed?

The last time Colombia’s soccer team played in Miami, there was a bit of a problem.

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Fans were so excited to see their team, that they zipped past security, crashed the gates of Hard Rock Stadium and crawled through AC ducts.

What can we expect this time?

Likely a different story. This is the World Cup — and security has increased since police and security officers were left cut and bruised in the 2024 rush on the stadium.

Colombia plays at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night for the first time since that 2024 Copa América Final.

Security measures have increased since thousands of fans, many of whom were rooting for Colombia in a match against Argentina, stormed the gates, overwhelmed security and overtook the stadium without tickets. Several areas of the stadium were damaged in the chaos.

Security shut the gates into Hard Rock Stadium after crowds surged in, and law enforcement attempted to chase down fans who entered without tickets. When it was all over, 27 people were arrested, and 55 others were ejected from the stadium, according to Miami Herald reports at the time.

The game was delayed over an hour, and hundreds, perhaps thousands of fans who paid between $1,500 and $8,000 for tickets, weren’t allowed in for the match. Some who did enter had their seats taken by those who barged through security.

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Security measures for Saturday’s match

Fans who attend Saturday’s World Cup match between Colombia and Portugal will find a different scene at the World Cup.

Three checkpoints will be set up around the stadium to screen tickets, and those without valid tickets won’t even be able to come close to Hard Rock. No tickets or parking passes will be available for purchase on stadium property.

Those who want to celebrate the game without tickets will have to do so far from the security perimeter. The official FIFA Fan Festival will run until July 5 at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami, and official community watch parties will occur in NoMi Village in North Miami, Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Little Haiti Soccer Park, the North Beach Bandshell Sand Bowl, Amelia Earhart Park, Tropical Park and Palmetto Golf Course.

Roads around the stadium also will close.

Exit 2X on Florida’s Turnpike will close in both the northbound and southbound directions from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Northwest 199th Street will also close from Northwest 14th Court to Northwest 27th Avenue during the same time.

Unless you have an official parking pass, you won’t be allowed through.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Rapid Deployment Force and the Broward Sheriff’s Office Quick Response team are both able to be dispatched if necessary.

“If things go south, we get prepared, we get ready,” Miami-Dade Sgt. Lazaro Rodriguez said in a training video. “For civil unrest and unruly fans, this will get us ready for those events.”

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This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 4:15 PM.