178 sex arrests made in South Florida during the World Cup stretch. See details

Almost 200 sex-related arrests were made in South Florida as hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the Miami area for the World Cup, state officials say.

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Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced at a news briefing Monday that local law enforcement agencies arrested 178 people in South Florida for human trafficking and other sex crimes during the stretch of global soccer matches played at Hard Rock Stadium and celebrated at fan events across town.

They included the arrest of 23 men who attempted to purchase sex with minors and 39 men who were arrested for soliciting sex.

Because of their arrests, Fernandez Rundle said 17 potential victims of human trafficking were rescued.

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“To tackle the expected human trafficking activity that was about to come with the World Cup, we needed to attack it as if we were on steroids,” the state attorney said. “FIFA World Cup was like having a Super Bowl every single day for 23 days in a row.”

Fernandez Rundle noted one Miami-area suspect was accused of trying to pay $400 for half an hour of sex with two underage girls. She also said investigators found traffickers had brought girls from seven different states for the sole purpose of sex work during the World Cup.

Read more 178 sex arrests made in South Florida during the World Cup stretch. See details

This story was originally published July 27, 2026 at 6:14 PM.