World Cup resale buyers report missing tickets and canceled orders
Fans told the Associated Press that resale ticket failures left them outside World Cup matches, while StubHub and FIFA faulted each other.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
4 min read
World Cup fans who bought resale tickets through major platforms say some seats never arrived or were canceled shortly before kickoff, the Associated Press reported. The complaints matter because many supporters paid months ahead for family trips and then found themselves caught between FIFA’s ticketing system and outside resale sites.
The AP reported complaints involving StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats, with many centered on StubHub. Fans described missing transfers, last-minute cancellations and long waits for help as matches began without them.
Bina Ramroop told the AP she bought tickets on StubHub for $485 each as a 13th birthday gift for her grandson, Elijah Gomes, to see Spain play Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15. Outside Atlanta Stadium, she spent hours talking to StubHub by phone and FIFA representatives at a ticket booth, the AP reported.
Ramroop said no one resolved why the tickets could not move from the original seller into FIFA’s ticketing app. StubHub offered a refund, and she accepted after hearing the match begin, though she told the AP she wanted entry to the game rather than her money back.
StubHub and FIFA point to different causes
StubHub blamed FIFA for transfer failures, telling the AP that FIFA had weak technology, imposed late transfer limits and released its new ticketing app only weeks before the tournament. FIFA, asked about technical problems, told the AP on Wednesday that tickets bought through its official site are guaranteed.
FIFA has encouraged fans to use its own resale market, where the AP reported a 30% resale surcharge is split between buyer and seller. Many fans used other resale services anyway, either because they had used them before or because the AP reported outside platforms could be cheaper or easier for customers.
StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee offers replacement tickets or a refund when orders fail, according to the AP. The AP also reported that the policy gives StubHub discretion over which remedy to provide.
Michael McCann, a sports law expert at the University of New Hampshire, told the AP that the policy language gives StubHub clear room to choose a refund, though a buyer could attempt a challenge under state consumer protection laws. McCann said such a challenge would be difficult.
Experts cite possible speculative selling
Scott Friedman, co-founder of the Ticket Talk Network, told the AP some problems may come from technical failures, while others may involve speculative sellers. Friedman said such sellers list tickets before they possess them, expecting prices to fall before they must fill the order.
Friedman told the AP that World Cup ticket prices rose after the tournament began, which may have left some sellers facing the choice of buying more expensive seats or canceling and accepting platform penalties. He said StubHub penalties typically equal 200% of the ticket price.
StubHub told the AP that it requires sellers to prove they have tickets before listing them. Friedman said StubHub should still make sure every order is filled for a global event held every four years.
Pape Ndaw told the AP he bought tickets for about $550 each in December so he and his son could attend the Netherlands-Japan match near Dallas as a high school graduation gift. Two days before the June 14 game, StubHub emailed him that the seller could not deliver the original tickets, the AP reported.
Ndaw accepted store credit, expecting to buy replacements, but told the AP the cheapest late tickets had climbed above $1,500 each. He said StubHub later rejected his request to switch from credit to a refund.
Patrick O’Neil of Pittsboro, North Carolina, told the AP that two of five StubHub tickets for Spain-Cape Verde transferred, while three did not. His son and another relative used the two working tickets, while O’Neil and others watched from a nearby bar.
After local media reported the family’s problem, O’Neil said StubHub offered tickets to another match. A StubHub representative confirmed to the AP on Thursday that the company would honor the family’s request to donate those tickets to Soccer in the Streets, a local nonprofit.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.