Home of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, home of the Miami Open tennis tournament and also the stage for the Miami Formula One Grand Prix. This is Hard Rock Stadium, the lavish setting where the crown will be crowned on Sunday Argentina either Colombia in the final of the Copa America 2024.
With a capacity for 65,300 spectators and inaugurated in 1987, the Hard Rock Stadium will host this Sunday from 8 pm (00:00 GMT on Monday) this match between Lionel Messi’s Argentina, defending the 2021 title, and James Rodríguez’s Colombia, in a spectacular moment with 28 consecutive games without knowing defeat.
This will be the third match of this edition of the Copa América at this venue, which was previously the venue chosen for Uruguay’s 3-1 win over Panama and Argentina’s 2-0 win over Peru (both in the group stage).
Messi and Shakira
It is obvious that, with the Copa America organisation placing the final in Miami, an ideal image – at least for the fans of the Albiceleste – would be to see Messi being crowned in his new home, since last year the genius from Rosario landed at Inter Miami of the MLS and gave the starting signal to ‘Messimania’ in the USA.
But the Colombian team will not be alone in the final: according to the 2020 census, more than 400,000 people of Colombian origin live in Florida.
In addition, a Colombian in capital letters like Shakira will be the star of the concert during the halftime of the final. It is the first time that the match for the Copa America title will have a musical show during the halftime in the style of the NFL Super Bowl.
The legend of Don Shula
Hard Rock Stadium is a classic NFL final venue and has hosted no less than six Super Bowls (1989, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2010 and 2020).
This figure places it as the second stadium that has hosted the most Super Bowls, only behind the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, which has hosted seven and will host its eighth in 2025.
The Dolphins, now led by Tua Tagovailoa as quarterback and Mike McDaniel as coach, play their home games at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins, who played their games at the Orange Bowl before moving to Hard Rock Stadium, have two Super Bowls under their belts (1973 and 1974) and both are thanks to a legend from Miami and the NFL, Don Shula, who is the coach with the most wins in the history of the league (347 games won).
In addition, Shula had the only perfect season in NFL history in 1972-1973, when the Miami team sealed the campaign and the playoffs with an impeccable record of 17 wins and not a single loss.
It is no surprise, then, that the street on which the stadium is located is called Don Shula Drive.
Beyond the NFL
It is clear that the NFL is essential to understanding the history of this venue, but Hard Rock Stadium goes beyond American football.
For example, this stadium hosts the Miami Open tennis tournament every year, which is classified as a Masters 1000. In the 2022 edition, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, at just 18 years old, became the youngest tennis player to win this tournament.
Formula One has been coming to South Florida for three years now, and the Miami Grand Prix is held in the vicinity of the stadium. The winner of this event in 2024 was the British Lando Norris.
However, this Sunday the NFL, tennis and Formula One will make way for the final of the Copa America at Hard Rock Stadium and elite football will return there again in two years, since this field is also among those chosen by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
