Waymo says it gave more than 2,300 rides to Miami FIFA Fan Festival during 2026 World Cup: "This summer of soccer gave us exactly what we needed"
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to a close, Waymo is offering a glimpse into how autonomous vehicles helped move thousands of soccer fans around Miami during one of the city's busiest tourism events.
The company announced Monday that it provided more than 2,300 rides to the Downtown Miami FIFA Fan Festival while completing thousands of additional trips to Hard Rock Stadium throughout the tournament.
Waymo now serves more than 150 square miles across Miami, including recently expanded service areas in North Miami and Miami Gardens, placing many World Cup venues and fan destinations within its operating area.
The company said Miami became one of its busiest markets during the tournament as international visitors increasingly chose autonomous vehicles over traditional rideshare options.
According to Waymo, the company saw a more than 40% increase in international app activations during the World Cup, the highest level in its history. The largest number of downloads came from visitors from the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, while riders used the app in dozens of languages, including Spanish, Japanese and German.
One viral social media video shared by the company showed members of Scotland's "Tartan Army" enthusiastically singing inside a Waymo vehicle after initially expressing skepticism about riding in a driverless car.
Nationwide, Waymo operated in six World Cup host cities, where it said it completed more than 90,000 trips to stadiums and official watch parties, supported more than 400 fan events, and welcomed more than 200,000 first-time riders during the tournament.
"This summer of soccer gave us exactly what we needed: great matches and a reason to come together," Shweta Shrivastava, Waymo's senior director of product management, said in a statement.
"We're proud that Waymo could be a reliable teammate to cities and visitors across the country, helping fans get to the stadiums, fan fests and home safely at the end of the night. When transit is safe, seamless and delightful, it can make the journey feel like the destination."
Miami was one of 16 North American host cities selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout the month-long tournament, with Hard Rock Stadium hosting multiple matches and the Downtown Miami Fan Festival serving as a gathering place for fans from around the world