World Cup fans left flustered by last-minute StubHub ticket cancellations

Fans attending the World Cup have been left frustrated by last-minute ticket cancellations on the resale platform StubHub, with dozens reporting being left without tickets they had purchased months prior. Jeremy Wright, who bought two tickets for the Netherlands vs. Japan match on June 14 as a Christmas gift, experienced this firsthand.

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StubHub had found new tickets at no extra cost, covering him under its "FanProtect Guarantee."

After traveling from Austin to Dallas for the game, Wright received an email from StubHub just five hours before kickoff stating their tickets could not be delivered. Although the email mentioned StubHub's "FanProtect Guarantee" and the possibility of new tickets at no extra cost, the only option provided when attempting to claim replacements was a refund. After hours of trying to reach customer support, the Wrights abandoned their plans and returned home.

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StubHub is not an official ticketing partner of the World Cup and is a resale-only platform. It does not possess the tickets or set the prices, and order cancellations are due to issues with delivery from sellers, a spokesperson said.

These cancellations are part of a broader ticketing issue surrounding the first North American World Cup in over three decades. FIFA's decision to implement dynamic pricing for the first time has also drawn criticism. StubHub, which is not an official World Cup ticketing partner, explained that order cancellations stem from delivery issues with sellers, not from StubHub itself. A spokesperson suggested that FIFA's ticketing infrastructure is impacting ticket transfers across all resale platforms.

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With reference to the reliability of the services available to fans on FIFA’s official ticket platform, FIFA rejects any suggestion that the functional issues being experienced by users of third-party platforms with respect to FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets are the result of FIFA's ticketing infrastructure.

FIFA, however, has urged fans to use only its official resale platform, asserting that its World Cup ticketing platform operates reliably. FIFA rejects any claims that its infrastructure is responsible for the functional issues experienced by users of third-party platforms. FIFA's official resale platform charges a 30 percent commission, often making tickets more expensive than on other sites, though FIFA states these fees are standard in North America and provide a secure environment for ticket transfers. Some fans, like writer Dacy Gillespie, found FIFA's platform confusing and opted for resale sites like StubHub.

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FIFA added that its platform provides a "safe, transparent and secure environment for fans to sell or transfer tickets to other fans", but some supporters, like writer and personal stylist Dacy Gillespie, turned to platforms like StubHub because they found FIFA's platform convoluted and confusing.