After a nail biting semifinal between Uruguay and Colombia on Wednesday, Charlotte is hosting one more Copa America match on Saturday.
One of the largest soccer tournaments in the world, Copa America matches draw tens of thousands of fans.
Tickets
The game is the fight for third place between Canada, which lost to Argentina on Sunday, and Uruguay, who lost to Colombia on Wednesday. The final between Argentina and Colombia will be at 8 p.m. Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Tickets for the Charlotte match are still available, ranging from around $90 for nosebleed seats to $1,200 for the best views. The average price for mid-level seats is around $300 before fees.
Entry into Bank of America Stadium will be through mobile tickets, and fans are encouraged to add them to their mobile wallet to ensure a smooth process. Gates will open at 6 p.m.
Parking
The stadium has many parking options, including five lots that surround the venue labeled 1-5. There is also the Legacy Lot on Church Street and the McNinch Lot on McNinch Street. Parking can be reserved ahead of time, depending on availability.
The parking lots will open at 5 p.m. Tailgating is allowed, but there are some guidelines:
- Open-flame cooking devices must be kept at least 25 feet from any building and 10 feet from vehicles, vegetation, trash bins or anything else that could create a fire hazard
- Charcoal grilling is not permitted in stadium-affiliated lots
- Parking lots will have metal containers for the safe disposal of cinders or hot ashes labeled “For Coal and Ash Disposal Only”
- Ensure everything is extinguished before disposal
- Open-flame cooking devices need to be attended at all times and cannot be used in parking decks or areas that may impede traffic
- All non-cooking fires are prohibited
For those using rideshare, the city of Charlotte recommends getting picked up and dropped off at Third and Church streets, next to the Romare Bearden Park.
There is a designated drop-off area for fans with disabilities at Mint and Morehead streets. Wheelchairs will be available at all guest relations booths.
Traffic
The semifinal match was attended by over 70,000 people, so prepare for heavy traffic on Saturday and plan accordingly.
Graham, Mint, Fourth, First, Church and West Morehead Streets, Brooklyn Village Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will all be affected by either full or partial closures through the day.
Check what roads are closed with Charlotte’s interactive street closure map.
Stadium policies
Bag policy: clear bags no larger than 12 by 6 inches, or small purses no larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches. Each guest can bring two sealed water bottles no larger than 16.9 ounces.
Banners, signs and flags can be made of vinyl, cloth or other lightweight materials and no larger than 24 by 24 inches. Signs cannot be attached to the stadium in any way, must not obstruct views or stadium signs and cannot be attached to poles or sticks. Guests cannot display more than one sign or banner.
Cameras: Compact cameras and binoculars are allowed as long as they don’t obstruct anyone's view. Video cameras, digital action cameras such as Go-Pro, tripods, selfie sticks and cameras with detachable lenses are not allowed.
Prohibited items: alcohol, balls, baby seats, coolers, explosives or fireworks, folding chairs, horns and other noisemakers, drugs, laptops, pets, strollers, umbrellas or weapons of any kind.
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the stadium and is called PanthersWiFi.
Weather
Saturday is expected to be hot and partly cloudy in Charlotte, with a high of 95, but temperatures will drop as the sun sets and it’ll be around 88 when the game begins at 8 p.m.
Wednesday’s brawl
Tensions among Uruguay fans may be high on Saturday after the Wednesday match between Colombia and Uruguay ended with a fight in the stands.
After Colombia won the game 1-0, an altercation broke out between fans behind the Uruguay bench. Some of Uruguay’s players ended up in the stands as well, worrying for the safety of their families who were sitting in that section.
Uruguay striker Darwin Núñez, who plays for Liverpool, can be seen climbing into the stands to confront Colombian fans. He was later seen holding and comforting his young child on the field.
José Giménez, Uruguay’s captain, later criticized the lack of security at the stadium and said that the incident was the fault of fans who had been drinking too much. The Associated Press reported it took more than 10 minutes for police to arrive.
CONMEBOL, the governing body of soccer in South America, released a statement condemning the violence that followed the game and announcing it was opening an investigation.