Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Brazilian national team to play Colombia at Hard Rock stadium
The winningest FIFA World Cup soccer team will be making several trips over the next few years to play in South Florida.
Brazil, which has won five World Cup titles — most of any national team — is set to play in Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium three times over the next four years. The slate begins with a match against Colombia at 8 p.m. on Sept. 6. Dates and opponents have not been set for the other matches.
The upcoming matchup between South American rivals will be the second time they have faced off at the venue that houses the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes. On Sept. 5, 2014, the Brazil-Colombia match set the attendance record for soccer in Florida with 73,429 spectators.
Brazil, which last won the World Cup in 2002, is FIFA’s third-ranked team in the world. Its roster features top players in forward Neymar, attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho, left back Marcelo Vieira and defensive midfielder Casemiro plus newcomers Fred and Gabriel Jesus.
Colombia is ranked 12th in the world, has a new coach in Carlos Queiroz — who coached Iran in the last World Cup — and features attacking midfielder James Rodriguez, forward Radamel Falcao, winger Juan Cuadrado and rising stars Juan Fernando Quintero and Yerry Mina.
Hard Rock Stadium will also host a friendly between Venezuela and Ecuador at 8 p.m. on June 1.
Fans interested in buying
tickets for either match may register in advance during the pre-registration period, which runs through March 19 at HardRockStadium.com. The website grants fans access to buy tickets during the March 20-21 presale. General public tickets go on sale March 22 at 10 a.m., available via Ticketmaster.com.