World Cup fans miss games after resale tickets fail to deliver
7 reported1 conflicting
A growing number of World Cup fans who purchased resale tickets report being left empty-handed on match day, according to a report from NPR. Many complaints have been directed at StubHub, though some fans on social media reported similar issues with Vivid Seats and SeatGeek. StubHub stated the problem stems from FIFA’s ticketing infrastructure, including its app, which the vendor claims has had significant performance issues affecting transfers across all resale platforms. FIFA told NPR it can only guarantee tickets purchased through its official platform and rejected StubHub’s claims that FIFA was responsible for the issues. The report details several fan experiences, including a man who spent over $1,200 on two seats and drove four hours from New Jersey to Boston, only to learn his tickets fell through. Another fan purchased three seats on StubHub for roughly $15,600 in January 2025 and was offered what he considered inferior replacement seats. A consumer advocate noted the problem is not unique to the World Cup and is often caused by speculative ticketing, where resellers list seats before possessing them.
What’s reported
John McNicholas, 65, spent over $1,200 on two seats, drove four hours from New Jersey to Boston, and hiked two miles to Gillette Stadium, but his tickets fell through.
Brad Michel from San Antonio purchased three seats on StubHub for roughly $15,600 in January 2025 for Netherlands vs. Sweden in Houston; two tickets never arrived.
Brett Romas flew from Alberta, Canada, to Houston for Portugal vs. Uzbekistan; StubHub sent tickets for England vs. Ghana in Boston instead.
StubHub said a majority of its ticket transfers have been successful and it is actively working with FIFA to prevent further technical issues.
FIFA stated it has no visibility over or control of secondary market ticket transactions on third-party platforms.
John Breyault, vice president at the National Consumers League, said the issue is often caused by speculative ticketing, where resellers list seats before possessing them.
StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats have rules prohibiting speculative ticketing and penalize sellers who fail to deliver tickets.
Conflicting accounts
StubHub claims FIFA’s ticketing infrastructure, including its app, caused the issues. FIFA rejects that claim, stating it has no control over third-party platforms and can only guarantee tickets from its official site.
Key figures
John McNicholas, 65-year-old fan from New Jersey
David Wain, friend visiting from England
Brad Michel, fan from San Antonio, Texas
Brett Romas, fan from Alberta, Canada
John Breyault, vice president at the National Consumers League
Sources: NPR
