Fan fest at Bayfront Park, watch party and concert on South Beach to welcome thousands as FIFA World Cup kicks off

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - With the start of the FIFA World Cup just hours away, South Florida has prepared several massive events for soccer fans from all over the world who want to be part of the fun.

In Miami Beach, it will soccer, sand and singing, as the FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami Host Committee throws a beach bash.

It all begins with a beachfront viewing party near Ocean Drive and 10th Street. Gates are set to open at 2 p.m., and the watch party is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

7News cameras captured organizers putting the finishing touches at around noon.

“I think it’s so great that Miami has these activities for us, and we’re so excited,” said Florencia Gomez, who is visiting from Paraguay.

Fans will get to watch the opening ceremony in Mexico City, and the match pitting Mexico against South Africa, on several large screens scattered along the sand.

“We’re so excited, really optimistic,” said Sebastian Saab, who is visiting from Colombia.

The watch party will be followed by a concert on the beach, featuring a performance by Colombian singer Carlos Vives, scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

“Insane, we actually love Carlos Vives so much in Paraguay, and when we heard about the concert, we just said, ‘We have to go,'” said Gomez.”

“Carlos Vives, who is our greatest artist, is going to perform later,” said Saab.

Across the bay in downtown Miami, Bayfront Park was transformed into a center of football for everyone to enjoy.

“Welcome to Miami’s second stadium!” said Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins. “We’re at the heart of the city, we’re at the heart of the bay, and starting on Saturday, we will be at the heart of every community celebration during the World Cup.”

The official FIFA Miami merch tent will feature FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami official T-shirts, hats, and much more that people can come into the store to check out.

The 23-day FIFA Fan Festival at Bayfront Park is a free, family-friendly experience where soccer fans can catch front row seats to every single match and more.

Included will be a mini soccer pitch, rock climbing, ski ball, and many other activities for fans of all ages.

“Our mini pitch, seating for fans, concessions,” said an employee.

One of the activities includes playing soccer with a video of David Beckham.

Also featured are 42 food vendors from all around the world and four large screens that will broadcast all the games.

During the games, the 8,000-seat amphitheater will host live performances, with 700 live entertainers from around the world.

The grounds are equipped with cooling tunnels and hydration stations for fans to cool off.

“So you’ll be able to walk through a tunnel with fans, take a moment, get cooled off, and keep on your way,” said Randy.

Organizers expect that 30,000 people are expected to attend daily, and the expectation is that it will be at capacity every day.

“Fans, they may be coming for the football, but they are staying for everything that makes Miami special,” said Higgins.

Local officials spoke about what’s to come and some of the safety measures in place.

“All ages will be here, and they’ll be able to watch the games for free while they’re enjoying the music, the dancing, the food — of course, our specialty — and Bayfront Park is our centerpiece, so working together with our host committee, this has been a labor of love,” said Levine Cava.

“We’re working very closely with our federal, state, and local partners to make sure that we have seamless communications across all channels and we have officers that have been specially trained to work the event,” said City of Miami Police Chief Manny Morales. “We’ll have uniformed officers, undercover officers, and we’re going to leverage all the technology available to us — not only the cameras here, but drones and other technology we won’t go into today.”

Doors open to the public on Saturday, and the event will run until June 13 through July 5.

All the action kicks off at 3 p.m. with the opening match.

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