Copa America security disaster ‘not a good look’ for US ahead of World Cup: Alexi Lalas

Alexi Lalas decried the chaos outside Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the Copa America final Sunday night and described it as “not a good look” ahead of the World Cup slated to be hosted in part by the United States in 2026.

The start of the highly anticipated match between Argentina and Colombia was delayed more than an hour after fans without tickets attempted to “forcibly enter” the venue, creating chaotic scenes at entrances around the stadium.

“This is not a good look,” Lalas, a former USMNT defender, said during the Fox pregame show before Argentina later won, 1-0, in extra time . “I understand this is not a good look for CONMEBOL (Copa America’s organizer), It is also because it is happening on our watch, in our country. Not a good look for the US less than two years out of the World Cup. I have no doubt that FIFA and the United States and Canada and Mexico will sort this out and make sure this doesn’t happen going forward.”

Fans crawl through stadium vents to get into Copa America final in wild scene

Sunday was the second major security failure to occur during the tournament and occurred just days after a separate incident involving the Uruguayan team jumping into the stands following a semifinal match with Colombia to protect their families from fans.

Even after Sunday’s championship game was underway, video was still filtering across social media of fans sneaking into the stadium.

Wife of Colombia’s Daniel Muñoz bloodied, crying with young children during ‘terrible’ Copa America mayhem

One video showed what appeared to be fans in Colombia jerseys trying to gain access to the stadium through vents.

Another showed fans climbing a fence to get into the stadium.

However, it did appear that police and stadium security were continuing to attempt to get rid of fans who had snuck into Hard Rock Stadium without a ticket.

A post on X by Fox Sports soccer reporter Lanken Litman showed images of police going through rows in the stadium.

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“As game goes on, security is actively going into the crowd checking tickets and removing fans. It’s incredibly packed down there. People fanning themselves and parents escorting kids out of the stands,” she posted on X.

The security situation at Copa has raised significant concerns over the United States’ ability to host the World Cup in 2026.

Copa America was expected to be a test run of sorts for the bigger event down the road,

Hard Rock Stadium is one of the venues selected to host World Cup matches, with seven slated to take place at the home of the Dolphins.

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