Before the opening whistle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, chaos already brewed outside the venue. More than a thousand soccer fanatics flocked to the stadium to watch the spectacle. Yet when concerns around the audience queue/crowd handling surfaced, many voiced frustration over the arrangements.
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“The organization for this World Cup Final has been shambolic,” sports journalist Zach Lowy wrote on X. “Thousands of [people] who’ve been waiting for 3 hours, there’s a lack of security and officials and scanners, a lot of people who are cutting in line, and a lot of people who have gone around in circles without any progress.
“Not really sure why FIFA decided to staff the biggest match in sports history with hardly anybody who knows what’s going on or where the line should go, but it’s been a complete disaster so far. A lot of angry, hungry staff who are fighting with one another because of FIFA’s incompetence.”
With a capacity of around 80,000 seats, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is all set to host the Spain vs. Argentina showdown. As things stand, the match is expected to operate at a maximum 100% capacity sell-out. Because both of the teams arguably stand as two of the favorites in the tournament.
But the delay in the operations to allow fans to enter the stadium isn’t without reason. The entry procedure for the FIFA World Cup finals is a long one. To start off, fans must pass through a peripheral plaza checkpoint long before reaching the actual stadium gates. Due to this, a few bottlenecks have been created outside the perimeter as security staff enforce strict clear-bag policies and thorough physical screenings.
“We’ve been in line for 2 hours for the X-ray to ENTER the stadium,” Brazilian sports journalist Mariana Spinelli wrote on X. “Everything disorganized, a total chaos. If this were in South America, they’d call us animals, a third-world country. Since it’s in the US, nobody says anything. A nightmare of organization, pathetic.”
Other than that, there stands one more reason, as highlighted by Spinelli herself. She reached the stadium around 9 in the morning while showcasing a glimpse of spectators queuing. But in the video posted on Spinelli’s Instagram handle, she revealed how there have been thorough security checks by the Secret Service.
“Good morning!” she wrote on Instagram Story. “We’re in the stadium for the Cup final, simply in a COLOSSAL queue for Raox. Never seen this in my life. Secret Service taking care of security because Trump comes to the stadium. Kick we’re going to stay here for 2 hours at least.”
The U.S. Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security, primarily known for protecting national leaders, their families, and visiting dignitaries. So, the attendance of POTUS Donald Trump is very likely. But it is somewhat affecting and raising struggles for the common fans.
