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The 2026 World Cup has officially arrived in the 305 — and so has the inevitable traffic.
South Florida’s first FIFA World Cup match kicks off Monday, June 15, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens (temporarily rebranded “Miami Stadium” for the tournament), launching a month of games that will draw tens of thousands of fans to the area. Over the next month, the venue will host seven games, including group-stage games, a Round of 32 showdown, a quarterfinal, and the Bronze Final.
This is all great news for soccer (or, rather, fútbol) fans. But for anyone trying to get around Miami-Dade, it might be a different story.
Miami Gardens has released a list of road closures for World Cup match days. Here are some roads you’ll probably want to avoid on match days:
- Northbound Exit 2X on Florida’s Turnpike
- Southbound Exit 2X on Florida’s Turnpike
- Northwest 14th Ct. / Northwest 199th St.
- Northwest 27th Ave. / Northwest 199th St.
The roads will close twice on match days. For most Miami games, which kick off at 6 p.m., closures will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Portions of the Golden Glades Interchange will also be reserved for buses during the evening closure period. Note: the schedule is different for the quarterfinal on July 11 and the Bronze Final on July 18, both of which begin at 5 p.m. On those days, the evening closures will start two and a half hours after kickoff, rather than 90 minutes.
According to the City of Miami Gardens, residents and local businesses can get “local access” passes to bypass road closures, with one exception: the Florida Turnpike ramps for northbound and southbound traffic. Passes are available for pickup at Miami Gardens City Hall and Miami Gardens Police Department headquarters Monday through Thursday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A valid ID is required as proof of residency.
And if the idea of navigating around Hard Rock Stadium isn’t stressful enough, FIFA is expected to turn downtown Miami into a monthlong soccer party, with fans pouring into the city for watch parties, events, and tournament festivities. From June 13 through July 5, Bayfront Park will host the official Fan Fest, featuring giant match broadcasts, interactive attractions, food vendors, and live music. Get ready for Biscayne Boulevard to be an absolute trainwreck.
In other words: good luck getting anywhere fast in Miami these next few weeks!
