DON'T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN, LADIES. ALL RIGHT CHRIS, THANK YOU. THE FIFA WORLD CUP IS LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AWAY. AND SOCCER FANS HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA ARE IN FOR A TREAT. HARD ROCK STADIUM WILL HOST SEVEN GAMES FEATURING SOME OF THE BIGGEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD. SPORTS ANCHOR YIANNI KOURAKIS IS IN MIAMI GARDENS WITH THE PREVIEW. HOW LUCKY ARE WE HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA? THAT HARD ROCK STADIUM ARE NOW. IT'S CALLED MIAMI STADIUM FOR WORLD CUP PURPOSES. IS ONE OF JUST 16 SITES HOSTING MATCHES. NOT ONLY THAT, THIS STADIUM WILL HAVE SEVEN MATCHES, INCLUDING THE BRONZE MEDAL GAME. CREWS WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO GET THE STADIUM READY FOR THE WORLD'S BIGGEST EVENT FOR ITS BIGGEST SPORT IN HARD ROCK STADIUM, IS NO STRANGER TO HOSTING THE BIGGEST EVENTS IN SPORTS. WE'RE USED TO THESE MAJOR EVENTS IN OUR AREA, SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE GOT TO BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE. ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS HERE. YOU KNOW, SO IT'S IT'S AN EXCITING TIME. HOST COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR RODNEY BARRETO KNOWS HIS TEAM WILL BE READY FOR THE CHALLENGE. CONSIDER THIS HARD ROCK STADIUM HAS HOSTED THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. FORMULA ONE MIAMI GRAND PRIX, THE MIAMI OPEN FOR TENNIS, THE ORANGE BOWL IN MIAMI DOLPHINS AND HURRICANES FOOTBALL GAMES ALL IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS ALONE, MAKING IT ONE OF THE BIGGEST BIG GAME VENUES IN THE WORLD. YEAH. SO THIS IS GONNA BE A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING ON A MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PLAN WITH OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, OUR STATE GOVERNMENT, OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ALL INVOLVED IN THE SECURITY ASPECTS OF THIS. A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD ARGUE OR SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SEVEN SUPER BOWLS IN A IN A FIVE WEEK PERIOD. THE FOUR GROUP STAGE GAMES INCLUDE SAUDI ARABIA AND URUGUAY. URUGUAY AGAINST CAPE VERDE, FIVE TIME WORLD CUP CHAMPION BRAZIL TAKING ON SCOTLAND IN PORTUGAL, WHO IS MAKING THEIR BASE CAMP IN PALM BEACH GARDENS UP AGAINST COLOMBIA. MIAMI WILL ALSO HOST A ROUND OF 32 GAME. A QUARTERFINAL GAME AND THE BRONZE FINAL. AND IF YOU AREN'T ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES WITH A TICKET INTO THE STADIUM, YOU'RE NOT ALONE. BUT YOU HAVE GREAT OPTIONS TO CELEBRATE THIS SPECTACLE. THE STADIUM HOLDS 65,000 FANS. WE THINK AN ADDITIONAL 60,000 WILL COME ON TOP OF THAT. IF YOU LOOK AT THE MODEL LIKE THE SUPER BOWL, YOU KNOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A HUGE WATCH PARTY FOR THOSE PEOPLE DOWN IN BAYFRONT PARK. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVITIES PLANNED. AND WE OF COURSE, WILL HAVE GAME DAY COVERAGE FOR YOU. MONDAY, JUNE 15TH HERE. URUGUAY AND SAUDI ARABIA KICKING THINGS OFF I
South Florida ready for World Cup fever with Hard Rock Stadium set to host 7 matches
Updated: 3:54 PM EDT May 28, 2026
Editorial Standards
Soccer fans in South Florida are bracing for World Cup fever in June. Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins, will be one of 16 North American venues to host games. “Miami Stadium,” as it will be known during the World Cup, will host seven matches.Hard Rock Stadium is no stranger to hosting the biggest events in sports. Consider this, Hard Rock Stadium has hosted the college football national championship, Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix, the Miami Open in tennis, the Orange Bowl and Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes football games all in the last six months alone, making it one of the biggest big-game venues in the world.”We are used to these major events in our area. We don’t have to build infrastructure. All the infrastructure is here. It’s an exciting time. We’ll showcase this beautiful area and we are a welcoming community, all three counties,” said Miami host committee co-chair Rodney Barreto.There are a lot of balls in the air to make an event of this magnitude work.”This is going to be a great experience for everyone. We are working on a major transportation plan. We hired a consultant group that is putting a plan together. We are going to have our federal, state and local government involved in security of it. People are going to argue that we are going to have seven Super Bowls in a five-week period,” he said.The four group stage games include Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, Uruguay against Cape Verde, five-time World Cup champion Brazil taking on Scotland and Portugal—who is making their base camp in Palm Beach Gardens—taking on Colombia. Miami will also host a round of 32 game, a quarterfinal game, and the bronze medal game. If you aren’t one of the lucky ones with a ticket into the stadium, you’re not alone. But you have great options to celebrate the spectacle.”The stadium holds 65,000 fans, and we think an additional 60,000 will come on top of that if you look at a model of a Super Bowl. We’ll have a huge watch party at Bayfront Park,” Barreto said.
Soccer fans in South Florida are bracing for World Cup fever in June. Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins, will be one of 16 North American venues to host games. “Miami Stadium,” as it will be known during the World Cup, will host seven matches.
Hard Rock Stadium is no stranger to hosting the biggest events in sports. Consider this, Hard Rock Stadium has hosted the college football national championship, Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix, the Miami Open in tennis, the Orange Bowl and Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes football games all in the last six months alone, making it one of the biggest big-game venues in the world.
“We are used to these major events in our area. We don’t have to build infrastructure. All the infrastructure is here. It’s an exciting time. We’ll showcase this beautiful area and we are a welcoming community, all three counties,” said Miami host committee co-chair Rodney Barreto.
There are a lot of balls in the air to make an event of this magnitude work.
“This is going to be a great experience for everyone. We are working on a major transportation plan. We hired a consultant group that is putting a plan together. We are going to have our federal, state and local government involved in security of it. People are going to argue that we are going to have seven Super Bowls in a five-week period,” he said.
The four group stage games include Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, Uruguay against Cape Verde, five-time World Cup champion Brazil taking on Scotland and Portugal—who is making their base camp in Palm Beach Gardens—taking on Colombia. Miami will also host a round of 32 game, a quarterfinal game, and the bronze medal game.
If you aren’t one of the lucky ones with a ticket into the stadium, you’re not alone. But you have great options to celebrate the spectacle.
“The stadium holds 65,000 fans, and we think an additional 60,000 will come on top of that if you look at a model of a Super Bowl. We’ll have a huge watch party at Bayfront Park,” Barreto said.
