Alexi Lalas Calls Last Night's Copa América Chaos A Bad Look For U.S.

Sunday evening’s Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia was overshadowed by utter chaos outside Hard Rock Stadium before it began.

The match was originally scheduled to kickoff at 8 p.m. EST. However, thousands of fans who didn’t have tickets to the final (most of whom were Colombian) flooded the entrances and got past security. Women and children were put in significant harm's way in the process, and the supporters destroyed an escalator.

Argentinian star Alexis MacAllister had to come out of the locker room to help his family get inside, with his mother calling the scene "inhumane."

For many reasons, this was troubling. The first and most obvious is that people were injured in this tidal wave of fans.

But in the bigger picture, it’s a horrific look for Hard Rock Stadium and the United States as a whole.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JULY 14: Police officers detain a fan of Colombia during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Final match between Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium on July 14, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Copa América Chaos Cannot Happen For World Cup

In just two years, the U.S., Mexico, and Canada will co-host the 2026 World Cup. If CONCACAF, CONMEBOL (the governing bodies for North American soccer and the Copa América, respectively) and the U.S. can’t handle a situation at a comparatively smaller tournament, will they be able to handle the pressure of the biggest sporting events in the world?

Read: Wild Footage Shows How Loud Argentina Fans Were In Buenos Aires Celebrating Copa América Goal At 1 a.m.

Fox Soccer’s Alexi Lalas brought up this point during last night’s broadcast.

"This is not a good look," Lalas said. "I understand this is not a good look for CONMEBOL, 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."

After all that happened last night, Hard Rock Stadium released a statement saying that they would do whatever they could to prevent anything like this from happening again.

I’m sure the whole world hopes they do, because seven of the 2026 World Cup matches (including a quarterfinal) will be hosted at Hard Rock. Everyone involved has two years to figure out to make these events safer.