Miami is scheduled to host seven FIFA World Cup matches, which will attract a massive influx of international tourists and create one of the most demanding logistical challenges in the county's history for local airports, roads and public transportation. Additional pressures will stem from fan festivals, concerts, and watch parties happening across the region.
The scale is unlike anything FIFA has ever attempted before: more teams (48), more matches (104), more days (39), more host cities (16) and more host countries (3): United States, Mexico and Canada.
To understand what it takes to pull that off, both broadly and specifically in the Miami area, FIU News spoke with two logistics engineering experts at the College of Engineering & Computing: Hossein “Zane” Tavana and Oscar Saenz.
In addition to research, the two teach students courses as part of master's in logistics engineering program, which covers how to design, optimize and manage supply chain networks using advanced engineering principles, data analytics and artificial intelligence.
Q: What makes the logistics of the 2026 World Cup unique?
Tavana: There really has never been anything like this before. Even the Olympics are held basically in one city, although there could be different sites. With this World Cup, you have teams and fans moving not only between cities but between countries. This is the most geographically dispersed sporting event in history.
Miami is a hub that attracts people from all over the world, especially Latin America. Our airports and roads are already near capacity, and we have limited public transportation. Fans could have immigration or visa issues. There are numerous concerns.
Q: How do planners use data to prepare for something this unpredictable?
Tavana: The World Cup is not a repeating event, like daily traffic, a firm’s sales or demand for a product, which can be observed continuously. The World Cup is a special event held every four years and for that reason, traditional forecasting methods cannot be used.
However, a planner should use similar events and make adjustments that consider the special characteristics of the event in question. Because of all the unknown factors, forecasting for an event like the World Cup has high variability. Therefore, planners usually try to be prepared for the worst-case scenarios to reduce the likelihood of system breakdown.
Q: Given that Miami’s transportation infrastructure is already under pressure on a normal day, how can the county manage the added strain?
Tavana: The event stadium is not in downtown, which has its negatives and positives. On the positive side, we won't see the congestion typical of a downtown area. On the negative, there is limited public transportation to the stadium, as it is further from the city center. The county will offer a shuttle feeder system to reduce the number of vehicles on roadways and to alleviate parking issues that can occur. Fans will have the option of getting to the games using feeder systems by taking, for instance, the Brightline, ride shares or taxis, or by parking in designated parking lots off site and boarding a free shuttle to the venue. Many will also opt for the ride-share services from their origin. In addition to the law enforcement personnel on the ground, there are city, county and state traffic management centers that work together to handle everything from controlling traffic signals to utilizing variable message signs, communicating live traffic conditions and guiding travelers on the roads.
Q: Beyond transportation, what does the full scope of coordination look like for an event like this?
Saenz: You are looking at lodging, rental cars, restaurants and entertainment. Because of the demand, there have been some unique partnerships, including between FIFA and Airbnb, which worked together months in advance to add more Miami-area hosts. This type of planning for extra capacity is called aggregate planning, which is about increasing capacity in the short term. A few well-known aggregate planning strategies include scheduling extra shifts, hiring temporary workers and subcontracting or outsourcing work.
There’s also the need for additional emergency and medical-related services. Fire-rescue and EMS are working with other agencies around the stadiums to ensure safety. That requires a level of planning and integration management that takes into account time management, costs, quality, resources, communications and procurement and stakeholder management.
Q: What data sources do planners practically have to work with ahead of the tournament?
Saenz: There is some data available to help with forecasting such as advance ticket sales, stadium capacity and hotel reservations. Planners can also review historical data such as food and beverage stocked at previous World Cup games.
Q: How does the master's in logistics engineering in the College of Engineering & Computing prepare students to manage projects of this scale?
Saenz: It emphasizes the complexity of managing thousands of activities with hundreds of stakeholders and tens of thousands of customers. We talk about what it takes to run ports, airports, large-scale events, government infrastructure. Our students can see the big picture and are equipped to analyze the data and apply data-driven decision making using advanced statistical models, even down to the study of queues and waiting times. It’s not only about preventing or detecting problems, but also making improvements. We teach analytical methods for inventory management, scheduling, project planning, supply chain, predictive analysis and forecasting.