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The 2026 Soccer World Cup is coming to South Florida, significantly impacting traffic in two key areas: around the stadium in Miami Gardens and downtown Miami, where the FIFA Fan Festival will be held.
According to authorities, several streets and highway exits will remain closed during certain hours and days near the stadium and the fan festival.
Matches in Miami Gardens: Dates and Times
The Hard Rock Stadium, officially renamed «Miami Stadium» during the tournament, will host seven matches between June 15 and July 18, including the quarter-finals and the third-place match.
The start times, according to the Miami Herald, are as follows:
- June 15, 21, and 24, and July 3: 6:00 PM.
- June 27: 7:30 PM.
- July 11 and 18: 5:00 PM.
Authorities anticipate that June 15 and June 24 will be the days with the highest traffic congestion throughout the metropolitan area.
Closed streets in Miami Gardens
The authorities of Miami Gardens published the official list of affected roads for each game day:
- Exit 2X heading north on Florida's Turnpike.
- Exit 2X southbound from Florida's Turnpike.
- Intersection of NW 14th Court and NW 199th Street.
- Intersection of NW 27th Avenue and NW 199th Street.
The closures start at 5:00 AM and continue until the parking lots open, four hours before the start.
They then reactivate: "On days like June 15, 21, and 24, and July 3, when a match starts at 6:00 PM, the roads will be closed from 5:00 AM to 2:00 PM and again from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM," the Miami Herald specified.
For the matches on July 11 and 18, the closures after the event will last two and a half hours from the start.
After each game, some ramps of the Golden Glades Interchange will be reserved exclusively for shuttle buses, including the connections to Florida's Turnpike and the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826).
Those who live or work in controlled access areas must carry a special local access pass, available at the Miami Gardens City Hall and the Police Department.
The ramps from exit 2X of the Turnpike, however, will remain closed to all vehicles without exception.
Closures in downtown Miami due to the Fan Festival
The FIFA Fan Festival will take place at Bayfront Park (301 Biscayne Blvd.) for 23 days, from June 13 to July 5, featuring interactive experiences, live broadcasts, food, and musical performances.
The Miami Herald warned bluntly: "Traffic in the downtown area is chaotic, and parking is not easy even on normal days."
The authorities have designed two scenarios.
The Scenario 1 (June 13 - July 1, low to medium traffic) keeps the main lanes of Biscayne Boulevard open, with possible temporary closures of the right north lane in front of Bayside Park.
The Scenario 2 (July 1–5) redirects traffic north of Biscayne Boulevard to the southbound lanes between SE 2nd Street and NE 4th Street, with additional closures on NE 6th and NE 8th Streets.
This scenario coincides with the concerts of Shakira at the Kaseya Center on July 1 and 2, as well as the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Public transportation and recommendations
To reach the stadium, fans with a valid ticket can use free shuttles from the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza Metrorail station, the Golden Glades multimodal terminal, and the Aventura Brightline station.
Boarding starts four hours before the match. There will be no parking sales on the day of the event.
For the Fan Festival, authorities recommend using Metrorail, Metromover, Brightline, and Tri-Rail.
The Metrorail will operate until midnight, with extended hours until 1:00 a.m. on June 23, 25, and 27.
The Southeast Florida Fusion Center summarized its recommendations as follows:
"Avoid non-essential travel during the periods before and after the matches, leave with extra time, monitor traffic conditions before departing, and consider alternative routes to reduce delays."
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