Hard Rock Stadium tightens security at Club World Cup after chaotic scene at Copa America

MIAMI (AP) — Almost a year since the Copa America final nearly ended in tragedy, big numbers of soccer fans are back at Hard Rock Stadium — this time for the Club World Cup with heightened security.

A combined crowd of nearly 120,000 supporters have watched the opening two games staged in Miami. They have been greeted by extra checkpoints and a heavy police presence.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office says lessons have been learned from July of last year when ticketless fans rushed the gates at the home of the Miami Dolphins for a match between Argentina and Colombia, leaving fans terrified and bloodied as security struggled to contain the crush.

The match was delayed an hour, children were in tears and concerns were sparked ahead of two more years of major soccer tournaments being staged in the United States — the Club World Cup this summer and the men's World Cup in 2026.

This tournament is an early gauge as to how the U.S. will handle fans from 48 countries visiting next year's World Cup. There has been understandable focus on Miami after the shocking scenes at the Copa America when fans from a sellout crowd were too easily able to force their way into the 65,000-seat Hard Rock Stadium.

“We’ve put extensive measures in place to protect fans, players and staff,” Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said before the tournament. “The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is leading all security efforts for this global event.”

Last year, police had to lift distressed children over barriers to avoid them being crushed, while elsewhere officers tackled to the ground the ticketless fans they could catch in a forlorn attempt to keep the hoards at bay.

Videos showed some fans trying to climb through air vents to gain entry.

Changes made over the past year mean fans for this tournament must pass through three separate checkpoints that enclose the entire campus before getting close to the stadium. Steel fencing is set up around the perimeter.

First up is a ticket check at temporary gates, taking up large parts of the parking lot where tailgate parties might usually take place. Then comes another airport-style screening under tents where bags are checked by X-ray machines. Even flags need to be approved.

Fans were able to get much closer to the stadium before checkpoints at the Copa America.

“When I was at the final, the security guards just opened the gate and started letting people through,” Edison Negron, a Boca Juniors fan from Puerto Rico told The Associated Press when describing the scenes as fans crushed against the barriers last year.

Miami-Dade County said at the time that a full review would be conducted and that the scenes “cannot happen again.”

“There will be a significant law enforcement and security footprint in and around the stadium to ensure public safety for all the events,” Det. Argemis Colome told the AP while adding social media was being monitored prior to matches.

Preparations have included special training for a rapid-deployment force as part of a multi-agency response to potential crowd trouble.

“If things go south, we get ready for civil unrest and unruly fans,” the Sheriff's Office said in a social media post.

A large police presence has been evident at both games played at Hard Rock so far — Saturday’s tournament opener when a crowd of more than 60,000 watched Inter Miami vs. Al Ahly and Monday's match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in front of nearly 56,000.

Patrol cars have been stationed along the interstate outside of the stadium and, within the grounds, officers equipped with face shields and protective clothing are on patrol.

FIFA said it had worked closely with stadium officials, state and federal agencies “to ensure a robust security presence.”

A 2-2 draw between Argentine giant Boca and Benfica of Portugal was the first match at the stadium involving a large number of traveling fans.

FIFA said Boca was the first team to sell out tickets for its three group stage matches, with fans of the 35-time Argentine champion dominating the crowd. No major altercations were reported. Boca plays a second match at Hard Rock against Bayern Munich on Friday.

While only so much can be drawn from two games that have been below capacity, the extra safeguards put in place have been evident, with, as of yet, no repeat of the chaotic scenes at the Copa America.

AP reporter Andres Jaime-Mendez contributed from Miami.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Law enforcement personnel stand outside the stadium prior to the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Soccer fans attend the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Bernardo Gasca, 10, holds an Inter Miami's Lionel Messi jersey before entering Hard Rock Stadium for the Club World Cup group A soccer match between Al Ahly and Inter Miami in Miami, Fla., Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Boca Juniors fans cheer prior to the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Law enforcement personnel stand outside the stadium prior to the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)