Traffic

Need help getting around Miami for a month of World Cup soccer? Note the changes

By Howard Cohen and Vinod Sreeharsha

June 5, 2026 5:00 AM

Ludmila Soleimani, 23, strikes a pose as influencers and creators from Miami and around the world attended a private shopping experience during the 2026 grand opening of the official FIFA World Cup store on Lincoln Road Mall in Miami Beach, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com

“Drive less and celebrate more.”

That’s the message Mayor Daniella Levine Cava gave in detailing Miami-Dade County’s plans to minimize traffic headaches during the FIFA World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

In that “drive less” spirit, the mayor detailed a free shuttle service to games played at Hard Rock Stadium offered by the county.

“We want people to experience the excitement of the World Cup, not the stress of getting around town,” she said while standing in front of a pink, orange and blue bus at the Golden Glades transit station.

The FIFA 2026 World Cup, hosted this year by Mexico, Canada, and the United States, starts June 11 in Mexico City. Miami, one of 11 U.S. host areas, holds four Group Stage games at Hard Rock Stadium, followed by three elimination games. The matches run June 15 to July 18.

Be prepared: The world’s biggest sporting event in South Florida will lead to traffic jams for not only the estimated 600,000 or more who plan on attending the matches or fan events around town, but for everyone else just trying to get from one place to another.

Here are some details on how to get around during the stretch:

Shuttle bus service

During the seven match days — June 15, 21, 24, 27 and July 3, 11 and 18 — verified ticket holders can access the county’s free coach bus shuttle services at four hub sites in Miami-Dade and one in Broward County that will pick up fans and whisk them to and from Hard Rock Stadium.

There are rules, of course. In Miami-Dade you don’t have to prebook but you must show your verified ticket at one of following stations.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza Metrorail Station. Take Metrorail’s Green line or Metrobus numbers 27/27A or 62, or Uber or Lyft to the onside drop-off/pick-up zone. There is no parking at this station.
Golden Glades Multimodal Transit Station. You can take Tri-Rail to this station. Or Metrobus numbers 75/75A, 77, 95/95A, 95B Express or 401 North Owl. Paid parking available at the Park & Ride Lot.
Aventura Brightline Station. Take Brightline from Orlando, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale to the Aventura station at 19796 W. Dixie Hwy. Paid parking is available at the Brightline Aventura station.
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Paid parking is available at Lot 70 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood.

Broward Transit does require prebooking at Broward County’s World Cup transit site. Like Miami-Dade’s service, only verified ticketholders can use the park and ride service.

Here are the Broward pick-up spots.

441 Breeze will pick up passengers at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood and continue to Golden Glades Multimodal Transit Station in North Miami-Dade. The fare is $2 per trip. Broward County Transportation bus routes to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino are 15 and 18.
102 Breeze will pick up passengers at the West Regional Terminal in Plantation and continue to Calder Casino in Miami Gardens. Fare is $2 per trip. Bus routes to West Regional Terminal are numbers 2, 12, 22, 30, 81 and 88.
Amerant Bank Arena at 1 Panther Pkwy. in Sunrise is a hub. Express buses will pick up passengers from the Panthers and concert venue and continue to the stadium in Miami Gardens. Bus routes to Amerant Bank Arena are 22, 36 and 72.

Tips for shuttle bus riders

With parking fees at the stadium running as much as $249 for a single spot for some of the matches, the shuttle may be the way to go.

The first rule to remember is to have your verified ticket on hand at all times. You’ll need it to board the shuttles going to and from the stadium. Shuttle service is available exclusively for verified ticket holders.
Stadium staff will scan tickets and allow verified ticket holders to begin boarding shuttles at each of the hubs four hours before each match. The buses will depart as they fill up 3 1/2 hours before kickoff.
Fans will be allowed to line up at designated areas at each hub no earlier than five hours before kickoff. The first of the Miami games is Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay at 6 p.m. Monday, June 15. You can start lining up at 1 p.m. and board at 2 p.m. for that day.
Tickets will be scanned and validated again at the stadium security perimeter before fans are allowed to enter. Don’t lose it on the bus.
Shuttle return service begins right after the final whistle of the match. Shuttles run continuously until every passenger is accommodated, Miami-Dade officials say. Staff will be onsite to guide ticket holders to the appropriate shuttle for each of the hubs.

Public transportation

A TriRail train heads North at the 20th Street and Miami Avenue intersection as Miami Police officers and FDOT joined together during Operation Clear Track, to monitor railroad grade crossings for an opportunity to share the rail safety method with the community, wit the goal to reduce pedestrian and driver injuries and fatalities around railroad tracks increasing public awareness on the issue, in Miami, on Tuesday September 16, 2025. — A Tri-Rail train heads north in Miami. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com

County officials recommend taking mass transit like Brightline, Tri Rail, Metrorail and Metromover or county buses to one of the shuttle bus hubs.

Ride share

Gridlock on Miami’s roads. Miami Herald file

Uber, Lyft and other ride-share drivers will be required to drop off passengers at Lot 44 outside Hard Rock Stadium. That’s about two miles from the stadium and a 25-minute walk to get to the entrance gates. After matches, Uber is expecting longer wait times. Expect surge pricing and a special event surcharge. Uber would not specify what the charge may be.

There’s another option. Uber Shuttle plans more than 10 vehicles leaving from pre-designated locations in Miami Beach on Convention Center Drive and 18th Street, Brickell at Southwest Eighth Street and South Miami Avenue, and Fort Lauderdale at A1A and Southeast Fifth Street for every game. Check your app closer to game day to find out location details. The cost for the Uber Shuttle service will be $45 per seat one-way. They will also drop off fans after the match.

Miami is the only host city where Uber is activating Uber Shuttle to go to the matches, said Uber spokesperson Lizzie Pittinger. At others, it’s used after the games but not before.

Pittinger said with Miami’s notorious traffic, combined with the location of the stadium, “it became clear to us that riders need options to get out to the stadium.”

As with the county shuttles, before entering the Uber Shuttle riders will need to show valid tickets for that day’s game, Pittinger said.

“Folk have become so accustomed to Uber being there,” she said. “We are highly, highly encouraging fans to plan ahead, to mix and match, and to take advantage of all the transportation options available to them.”

That could mean taking an Uber to one of the county’s four hubs where you can connect to the free Miami-Dade shuttle, or opting with Uber Shuttle.

FIFA Fan Festival

St. Thomas University soccer player Ricky Martinez, 22, balances a soccer ball on his head while he and others wait to enter the new FIFA World Cup store on Lincoln Road Mall in Miami Beach, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com

Fútbol fans have 23 days’ worth of daily FIFA-related celebrations at the Fan Fest event at downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., as an option from June 13 to July 5.

The venue, where Ultra is held every year, boasts of interactive fan experiences, live match broadcasts, food, and performances including musical acts Lyano, Delou Africa, Suénalo, South Florida Center for Percussive Arts and Miami’s DJ Irie.

Downtown traffic is a snarl and parking isn’t easy even on routine days. And there are events at nearby Arsht Center like the Sergio Mendes Band on June 26 and at the Kaseya Center. No Heat games, but there are Shakira concerts at the Kaseya’s arena on July 1-2, as well as A$AP Rocky on June 15. Officials recommend taking Metrorail and Metromover. You can take Brightline and Tri-Rail into the city, too, and head over from the nearby station.

Miami-Dade County Metromover in downtown Miami, Florida, on June 3, 2025. Al Diaz adiaz@miamiherald.com

Getting to Fan Festival

Get to Bayfront Park in downtown Miami via free automated Metromover service connecting Brickell, downtown Miami, and Omni areas. Transfer to Metromover at select Metrorail stations.
Take Metrorail to the Government Center station. Transfer to Metromover’s free Omni Loop or Inner Loop and get off at the College/Bayside, College North, First Street or Bayfront Park Metromover station.
Extended service hours: Metromover service will be extended until midnight throughout Fan Fest, in alignment with Metrorail service hours. To accommodate larger crowds expected for featured matches, Metrorail and Metromover service will be extended until 1 a.m. on June 23, 25 and 27.
Closest Metromover stations to Bayfront Park? Bayfront Park, First Street, College/Bayside, College North.
Want to get your steps in by walking more? Government Center’s Metrorail station is a 15-minute walk to Fan Fest.
Metrorail fare is $2.25 for a one-way trip or $5.65 for a one-day pass. Parking at the Metrorail stations is $4.50 per day.

Miami parking garages

For the FIFA Fan Fest, the Miami Parking Authority will have the following parking facilities available:

College Station Garage, 190 NE Third St. $10 up to four hours and $15 from four to 24 hours.
James L. Knight Center Garage, 100 SE Second St. $10 up to four hours and $20 from four to 24 hours.
Miami Dade College parking Lot 1, NE Fifth St. between Northeast Second Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard will only be available on weekends for a $30 flat rate.

Road closings

City of Miami Gardens officials released a road closures list for dates of games. These roads will close from 5 a.m. until parking lots open four hours before matches.

They will close again 90 minutes after kickoff for two hours.

For example, on a day such as June 15, 21, 24 and July 3 when a match begins at 6 p.m., the roads will be closed from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then again from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Exceptions: The quarterfinal and the bronze quarterfinal matches on July 11 and 18 begin at 5 p.m. and the post-event road closures on those two nights are 2 1/2 hours after kickoff.

Northbound Exit 2X on Florida’s Turnpike
Southbound Exit 2X on Florida’s Turnpike
Northwest 14th Ct. / Northwest W 199th St.
Northwest 27th Ave. / Northwest 199th St.
Golden Glades Interchange, post-event only.

Match times

Here are the match times:

June 15: Kickoff at 6 p.m. Post event closure 7:30-9:30 p.m.
June 21: Kickoff at 6 p.m. Post event closure 7:30-9:30 p.m.
June 24: Kickoff at 6 p.m. Post event closure 7:30-9:30 p.m.
June 27: Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Post event closure 9-11 p.m.
July 3: Kickoff at 6 p.m. Post event closure 7:30-9:30 p.m.
July 11: Kickoff at 5 p.m. Post event closure 7:30-9:30 p.m.
July 18: Kickoff at 5 p.m. Post event closure 7:30-9:30 p.m.

An exterior view of Hard Rock Stadium from the Miami Gardens City Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com

The 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup — with 78 soccer matches in the U.S. and 13 each in Mexico and Canada — begins June 11. Eight games will be held at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. FIFA