Embarrassing Copa America failure showed exactly how a tournament should NOT be run - and FIFA must make changes ahead of US World Cup

Standing on nan roadworthy into Hard Rock Stadium, a group of group who hoped to evangelize immoderate held up a sign: 'Hell Awaits: Only Jesus Christ Can Save'. If that's true, past nan Christian Lord and Savior must person abandoned those opinionated extracurricular nan gates earlier nan Copa America Final.

A disastrous segment unfolded arsenic fans attending nan showpiece collapsed done nan gates and stormed nan stadium. That led to constabulary and information closing nan entrances and only letting successful a fewer astatine a clip - allowing nan masses to shape successful a vulnerable scene.

It led to media members being tackled, fans passing retired successful nan heat, and yet - opening nan gates periodically to everyone and anyone without checking tickets to debar nan anticipation of immoderate further crushing.

Sunday's last served arsenic nan synthesized principle of really poorly this tourney has been tally and it is almost wholly acknowledgment to CONMEBOL - not nan United States arsenic a state - arsenic nan South American federation sewage what it wanted by demanding much power complete nan event.

Looking astatine nan full tourney arsenic a full paints nan image of an embarrassment for nan federation - each while serving to inquire questions astir really prepared nan USA is to invited nan world successful 2026.

In 2016, nan United States held nan Copa America Centenario - a spinoff type of nan tourney that by each accounts went disconnected without a hitch.

However, location were immoderate issues pinch nan distribution of nan gross that had CONMEBOL emotion spurned. 

So, erstwhile nan 2024 tourney came astir nan federation decided to person a much controlling domiciled successful nan title - and that included having a controlling opportunity successful really it was tally from nan apical down.

Most of nan organizational issues successful this tourney tin beryllium pinned straight connected them. That ranges from information - aliases deficiency thereof, arsenic we saw connected Sunday - to ticketing.

All of these person been issues raised passim various stages of nan tournament. It was brought up by coaches and fans arsenic - each critical, but perchance directing their disapproval astatine nan incorrect source.

The outrageous summons prices paid retired for these events led to lining CONMEBOL's pouch - particularly erstwhile nan federation utilized nan uniquely North American conception of 'dynamic pricing', which uses algorithms to alteration prices based connected demand.

While that would make consciousness successful theory, it led to immoderate stadiums being astatine astir half nan capacity, and full sections of quiet seats because tickets were exorbitantly expensive.

Those who did walk hundreds of dollars conscionable to get into nan stadium paid astir of their money retired to CONMEBOL - who, while turning complete nan trading of tickets to places for illustration SeatGeek and Ticketmaster, still profited nan astir from offering those tickets up for purchase.

And past there's nan matter of security.

CONMEBOL was fixed a informing successful nan run-up to nan last erstwhile mediocre handling of nan family conception successful nan Colombia-Uruguay semifinal crippled led to nan families of Uruguay players being attacked by rival fans sitting nearby.

That led to players for illustration Liverpool's Darwin Nunez jumping into nan stands and trying to conflict disconnected people, earlier consoling his boy connected nan pitch.

But moreover pinch this warning, nan federation wholly and wholly grounded astatine its occupation to protect fans and tally nan last successful Miami successful an orderly manner.

There are countless measures that could person been taken successful bid for a smoother process, but CONMEBOL alternatively locked themselves retired - virtually and figuratively - by closing nan gates to fans and only letting successful a fewer astatine a clip without immoderate pre-emptive summons checking earlier they sewage to nan front.

Eventually, everyone holding nan gates backmost realized location was thing they could do to quell nan crowd and conscionable gave up.

'Stadium officials, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and rule enforcement officers communicated and decided to unfastened stadium gates for a short play of clip to each fans to forestall stampedes and superior wounded astatine nan perimeter,' a Hard Rock Stadium spokesperson said. 

Other clips showed fans climbing up ladders and complete walls, into aerial conditioning vents, and breaking down fences to get wrong nan stadium by hook aliases by crook. 

Once inside, fans who had bought tickets recovered group sitting successful nan seats that they had paid thousands of dollars for. People would not move and information was helpless to supply assistance.

That led to overcrowding of nan stadium and group opinionated successful nan aisles and exits - creating what would person been a imaginable disaster if a occurrence aliases different wide emergency was brought about.

When immoderate bid was restored, constabulary ended up checking tickets wrong and kicking group retired who did not person them.

Fans overseas mightiness look astatine this tourney and show themselves they'll walk connected attending nan 2026 World Cup.

But CONMEBOL is much to blasted than nan United States is. The level of organizational power that they had complete operations and logistics damns them.

Which brings america to FIFA and what they must study from CONMEBOL's mistakes.

Unlike tournaments for illustration nan Euros, matches for nan World Cup are group to beryllium played - successful nan United States astatine slightest - each astatine venues of a capacity of 64,000 aliases higher.

With request for tickets group to beryllium overmuch higher for nan World Cup than nan Copa America, FIFA cannot let itself to autumn into nan trap of move pricing - aliases other they whitethorn find themselves staring astatine quiet seats for illustration CONMEBOL did successful aggregate matches successful this tournament.

And erstwhile it comes to security, FIFA needs to activity pinch section officials who cognize nan venues and fto them tally nan show - thing CONMEBOL did not do successful Miami connected Sunday.

FIFA tin big itself a successful tourney successful nan United States - arsenic they've shown 3 times successful nan past pinch nan 1994 FIFA World Cup and nan 1999 and 2003 Women's World Cups.

If FIFA and nan US Soccer Federation are allowed to person their power complete nan event, past disasters tin debar being repeated. 

That's acknowledgment to CONMEBOL, who ran a disastrous tourney that showed those 2 parties what tin spell incorrect - and really they tin debar it travel 2026.