The Copa America party that almost turned into a tragedy. Find out why

The 2024 Copa America was intended to showcase America's passion for soccer.

The tournament, hosted by the United States in some of the world's biggest and best stadiums, was beset by problems.

This included poor pitches, half-empty stadiums and crowd trouble, and it culminated in scenes of chaos on Sunday.

The final match between Argentina and Colombia was delayed by 80 minutes after ticketless fans forced their way into Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.

Arrests were made following clashes with police and security personnel, while several supporters were arrested and jailed for allegedly threatening to kill a person in para jeopardy.

This was a far cry from organisers' expectations and is a cause for concern ahead of the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Before Sunday's final, Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo complained about Colombian popstar Shakira performing a half-time show, which meant the interval would be 25 minutes instead of 15.

CONMEBOL issued a statement saying that only ticket holders would be allowed to enter the stadium premises before 20:00 (local time).

But as the scheduled time approached, a statement from a stadium spokesperson said thousands of ticketless fans "attempted to force their way into the stadium", which has a capacity of 65,000.

Footage shows fans breaking through stadium gates, climbing over perimeter walls and fences, and even climbing through ventilation ducts.

"The gates were closed once the danger of fans being crushed had passed," the statement said. "At that point, the venue was completely full and the gates were not reopened."