Chaos at the gates of the Copa America in Miami prevented ticketed fans from entering the match

Hooligans stormed the stadium during the Copa America championship match near Miami, preventing dozens of paying customers from getting outside and raising questions about the venue’s readiness for the World Cup in two years, officials said Monday.

Ticketed fans said they faced “total chaos” and “mayhem” as they tried to enter the Hard Rock Stadium complex, where Argentina beat Colombia in a match that started nearly 90 minutes late on Sunday.

The Hard Rock will be one of 11 U.S. stadiums used for the 2026 World Cup, which will also be held in Mexico and Canada.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Levine Cava said she had ordered “a full review of last night’s events” so that “we can learn as much as we can as we prepare for the 2026 World Cup.”

“I was outraged by the unprecedented events that have taken place,” she told reporters at an event unveiling the county’s 2024-25 budget.

Dr. Manuel Fonseca paid $3,600 for a pair of tickets to see Argentina’s greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi, compete for perhaps his last major trophy.

“I’ve been to the Hard Rock many times and I expected a very safe environment,” said Fonseca, who along with his pregnant wife was kept outside Sunday night. “But when I got there, it was total chaos.”

A representative from FIFA, the world football governing body that organizes the World Cup, could not immediately be reached for comment on the reports Monday.

Once fans without tickets entered, some doors were “strategically closed and reopened in an attempt to allow ticketed guests to enter safely and in a controlled manner,” according to a statement released by Hard Rock Stadium Operators Monday.

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

“It was chaos,” Rebeca Hwang, a fan who cleared the ball, told NBC News. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

And once the stadium reached capacity, officials said they had no choice but to keep fans outside, even those with tickets.

“We understand that there are disappointed ticket holders who were unable to enter the stadium after the perimeter closure, and we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address these individual concerns,” a statement from Hard Rock Stadium said.

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

Hwang said she was devastated for her children, ages 6 and 9, who spent months learning about the teams and following the competition before flying to cross country in Florida — only to be “treated like criminals.”

“There was not much explanation, we saw people sitting illegally in the stadium, we were enjoying our seats, and we were not even near a bottle of water or a doctor,” said Hwang, a Stanford University professor. “We, the people who had tickets, were treated like criminals, behind the barriers.”

Ticketed fans wandered from door to door, desperately hoping someone would let them in.

“There were so many people in the same situation, hundreds of people moving around at every exit,” Hwang said. “Frustration would be the understatement of the century.”

Fonseca and his wife continued to wander around the stadium, but gave up after hearing Shakira begin performing during intermission.

“They’ll never let us in,” Fonseca thought at that moment.

The match was due to start at 8pm, but as the gates were packed, officials pushed back the kick-off – first to 8.30pm, then to 8.45pm and finally to 9.15pm before the action got underway at around 9.22pm.

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

“It’s going to be a lot crazier and I don’t think they’ll be ready if it’s anything like what we just saw yesterday,” he told NBC South Florida.

There was even unrest inside the Hard Rock after the game when Ramón Jesurún, 71, president of Colombia’s soccer governing body, and his son, 43, were both arrested during a post-game scuffle with security guards, officials said.

They were in a tunnel leading to the field when a uniformed security officer directing foot traffic asked several pedestrians to stop, according to a Miami-Dade police report.

Jesurún and his son, who shares the same name as his father, refused the order, which reportedly sparked a fight with security, authorities said.

The son of the football team’s boss allegedly kicked a security guard in the head during the fight, police said.

They were taken into custody early Monday morning and a representative from the football association could not immediately be reached for comment.