Hard Rock Stadium Copa America Settlement: Approved, Not Yet Paid
At a glance
- Status
- Approved, awaiting payment
- Defendant
- South Florida Stadium LLC / CONMEBOL / CONCACAF / BEST Crowd Management Inc.
- Settlement fund
- $14,000,000
- Claim deadline
- August 11, 2026
- No-proof cash option
- Yes — $100 per ticket (Denied Full Access class), subject to pro-rata adjustment, or up to $2,000 per ticket (Denied Entry class), which may include up to $300 in out-of-pocket travel costs, subject to pro-rata adjustment
- Max documented payout
- $2,000
- Administrator
- Angeion
- Official site
- finalmatchsettlement.com
- Court
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- Case number
- Nobel v. South Florida Stadium LLC, No. 1:24-cv-22751-BB
Last verified September 9, 2026
Key dates
| Milestone | Date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Claim deadline | August 11, 2026(passed) | Last day to file for a payment |
| Opt-out (exclusion) deadline | March 25, 2026(passed) | Last day to leave the settlement and keep the right to sue |
| Objection deadline | March 25, 2026(passed) | Last day to object to the terms |
| Final approval hearing | April 10, 2026(passed) | When the judge decides whether to approve the settlement |
| Expected payout | Not yet scheduled | Payments are not sent until after final approval and any appeals |
Where to file
Hard Rock Stadium Copa America 2024 Final Access Settlement is administered by Angeion. The only place to file is the official settlement website:
Verify on the official sitefinalmatchsettlement.com
Filing is free. No legitimate settlement charges a fee to file a claim.
You cannot file on RecordingLaw.com. We are an independent publisher, not the settlement administrator, and we are not affiliated with any court, agency, or defendant.
The Hard Rock Stadium Copa America settlement: approved, with the claim window now closed
If you had a ticket to the July 14, 2024 Copa America Final at Hard Rock Stadium and never made it inside, or got in but could not reach your seat, a federal class action settlement may pay you back. The settlement in Nobel v. South Florida Stadium LLC has been approved: the court entered a Final Approval Order and Judgment on April 23, 2026, and a corrected version on July 30, 2026. The deadline to file a claim was August 11, 2026, and it has passed.
This page explains what happened, who was covered, what proof claims required, and how much people realistically get once the fund is divided among everyone who filed.
What happened
On July 14, 2024, Argentina and Colombia played the Copa America Final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The event was marked by crowd-control problems at the gates. The lawsuit alleges that, because of the defendants’ handling of entry, some paying ticketholders were denied entry or full access at all. Others got through the gates but could not reach the seats or areas they had paid for, because of the crowding and the changes stadium staff made in response.
A group of ticketholders sued South Florida Stadium LLC, which operates Hard Rock Stadium, along with soccer federations CONMEBOL and CONCACAF and BEST Crowd Management, the security contractor hired for entry and crowd control that night. The case, Nobel v. South Florida Stadium LLC, is Case No. 1:24-cv-22751-BB in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. None of the defendants has admitted wrongdoing; they agreed to settle rather than litigate further.
This is not a data breach settlement. Nobody's Social Security number, password, or account data is alleged to have been exposed. The claims are about tickets people paid for, and the access, or lack of it, they actually got that night.
Where it stands right now
The case has moved through the standard settlement timeline. A judge granted preliminary approval, the deadline to exclude yourself from the class or object was March 25, 2026, and the court held a Fairness Hearing on April 10, 2026, to decide whether to grant final approval.
The court granted it. The docket shows a Final Approval Order and Judgment entered on April 23, 2026, and a Corrected Final Approval Order and Judgment entered on July 30, 2026, which also granted the motion for attorneys' fees. The official settlement site still described the settlement as preliminarily, not finally, approved, because its content was last updated on May 7, 2026. The August 11, 2026 claim deadline has now passed, and Cash Awards go out only after the judgment is final and any appeals are resolved. There is no published payment date yet, so be skeptical of anything claiming to know one.
Who is actually in the class
You are potentially a class member if you held a valid ticket to the July 14, 2024 Copa America Final and fall into one of two groups.
The Denied Entry class covers ticketholders turned away at the gates who never got into the stadium.
The Denied Full Access class covers ticketholders who got inside but were denied full access to the seats or facilities they had paid for, for example if crowding kept them from reaching their section.
Which group you fall into determines your payout tier. You cannot claim under both for the same ticket.
How much people realistically get
Start with the honest number, not the ceiling. Denied Full Access pays $100 per ticket. Denied Entry pays your actual out-of-pocket ticket cost, up to $2,000 per ticket, which can include up to $300 of documented travel costs such as a flight or hotel already paid for. Both are starting points, not guarantees, because the settlement pays out of a fixed $14 million fund.
If approved claims from both classes total more than the fund can cover, Denied Entry claims are paid first, and Denied Full Access payments are reduced pro rata to make room, with one protection: Denied Full Access payments cannot be cut below $50 per ticket. If protecting that floor would still leave the fund short, Denied Entry payments get reduced pro rata instead. In plain terms, people shut out entirely are meant to be made closer to whole first, but nobody's payment is fixed until the number of valid claims is known.
Money left after the first round goes through a second distribution to people whose checks were not cashed. Anything still unclaimed after that reverts to the defendants.
What proof you need to file
The two classes have different documentation requirements.
Filing under the Denied Entry class required a date and time stamped photo or video taken outside the stadium during the Final Match that clearly shows your face, or, failing that, a government issued photo ID (you can redact everything except your name and photo). The administrator may run that photo, video, or ID through facial recognition technology and compare it against footage taken in and around the stadium that night, to confirm you were actually outside. Per the official FAQ, that biometric data is used only to verify Denied Entry claims, may be shared with the administrator's technology vendor and, in limited fraud reviews, with the defendants and both sides' lawyers, and is destroyed on a fixed schedule, either 30 days after the settlement becomes final or 60 days after the claim deadline, whichever is later. Filing under this class means consenting to that process. You also need documentation of what you paid for your ticket, and receipts for any travel costs claimed, up to the $300 sublimit.
Filing under the Denied Full Access class required only the claim form itself, completed with the required supporting information. There is no facial recognition step for this tier.
Only one Claim Form is submitted per household. Each affected person still provides their own information and signature on that shared form.
How to file
Claims were filed through the official settlement site, finalmatchsettlement.com, which posts the claim form in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, along with the settlement agreement and court orders on its Important Documents page. On the claim form, filers chose a Cash Award by Venmo, PayPal, ACH transfer, or Zelle, or a paper check. The deadline was 11:59 p.m. Eastern on August 11, 2026, and it has passed.
The windows to exclude yourself or file a formal objection both closed on March 25, 2026, and filing a claim was a separate step that stayed open until August 11, 2026. All three deadlines have now passed, and what remains is the distribution of Cash Awards.
Because this case grew out of a chaotic, heavily covered event, it is a plausible target for copycat sites using Copa America or Hard Rock Stadium language to collect personal information. The only official site for this settlement is finalmatchsettlement.com, and that is where payment news will appear.
For other open settlements RecordingLaw has independently checked against official sources, see the settlement tracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Hard Rock Stadium Copa America settlement still open?
No. The deadline to submit a claim was August 11, 2026, and it has passed. The court entered final approval and judgment on April 23, 2026, corrected on July 30, 2026, and payments have not gone out yet.
Is this a data breach settlement?
No. This settlement resolves claims that ticketholders were denied entry or full access to the July 14, 2024 Copa America Final at Hard Rock Stadium. No personal or financial data is alleged to have been exposed, so the usual data breach steps like a credit freeze do not apply here.
Who is eligible for the Hard Rock Stadium Copa America settlement?
Valid ticketholders to the July 14, 2024 Copa America Final may be eligible if they were denied entry to the stadium (Denied Entry class) or were let in but denied full access to their seats or stadium facilities (Denied Full Access class).
How much money can I get from the settlement?
Denied Full Access pays $100 per ticket and Denied Entry pays your documented ticket cost up to $2,000 per ticket, including up to $300 in travel costs. Both are subject to pro rata adjustment out of the $14 million fund, so actual payments depend on how many valid claims are filed.
Do I need to submit a photo or ID to file a claim?
Denied Entry claims did require it. A filer needed a date and time stamped photo or video taken outside the stadium during the Final Match, or a government issued photo ID, and the administrator may use facial recognition technology to confirm the claim. The Denied Full Access class does not have this requirement.
Has the court given final approval to this settlement?
Yes. The Fairness Hearing was held April 10, 2026, and the court entered a Final Approval Order and Judgment on April 23, 2026, then a Corrected Final Approval Order and Judgment on July 30, 2026. The official settlement site still described the settlement as preliminarily approved because its content was last updated on May 7, 2026.
What is the difference between opting out and filing a claim?
Opting out, which had to be done by March 25, 2026, meant leaving the class entirely and giving up any payment while keeping the right to sue separately. Filing a claim was how a class member requested money from the settlement, and that window closed on August 11, 2026.
Where do I file a claim for this settlement?
The official settlement site is finalmatchsettlement.com, which posts the claim form in English, Spanish, and Portuguese along with the settlement agreement and court orders. The claim window has closed, so that site is now the place to watch for payment news.
How to tell a settlement notice is real
Check the case name, case number, and court against the official settlement site. Go to that site directly instead of clicking a link in an email or text. Nobody legitimate will call, text, or email out of the blue asking for your Social Security number, bank account, or card details, and nobody will charge you to file. Report anyone who does at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Informational only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not affiliated with any settlement.
RecordingLaw.com is an independent legal-information publisher. We are not a law firm, not a settlement administrator, and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any court, government agency, defendant, or claims administrator described on this page. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.
We do not process claims and we never collect your claim information. You cannot file a claim on RecordingLaw.com. To file, opt out, object, or check your status, use only the official settlement administrator identified above. We link to it for your convenience.
Filing a legitimate claim is free. No legitimate settlement or administrator will charge you a fee to file, or ask for your Social Security number, bank, or card details by unsolicited call, text, or email. If someone does, it is likely a scam. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Deadlines, amounts, and approval status change and are set by the court. We verify against the official administrator and court records, but confirm the current details on the official site before acting. Nothing here guarantees eligibility, a payment, or any amount. Settlement payments may be taxable. See IRS Publication 4345. and consult a tax professional. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state. Affiliate disclosure.
Updates
Updated settlement status and dates: Title advertised a passed deadline ("File by Aug. 11") now now states the settlement is approved and unpaid
Sources and References
- Nobel v. South Florida Stadium LLC, Case No. 1:24-cv-22751-BB, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (federal case docket filing via GovInfo.gov)(govinfo.gov).gov
- Nobel v. South Florida Stadium LLC Settlement (Official Court-Authorized Site): Home, Important Dates and Settlement Benefits(finalmatchsettlement.com)
- Nobel v. South Florida Stadium LLC Settlement (Official Court-Authorized Site): Frequently Asked Questions(finalmatchsettlement.com)
- Nobel v. South Florida Stadium LLC Settlement (Official Court-Authorized Site): Important Documents, Claim Form and Court Orders(finalmatchsettlement.com)