Fans Sue Ticket Resale Platform Over World Cup Tickets

Football fans have filed a lawsuit against ticket resale platform StubHub, alleging the company failed to deliver high-priced tickets for North American World Cup matches they purchased on the secondary market, Reuters reports.

In a federal court in Manhattan, fans claimed they "didn't get what they paid for" because the company did not provide the promised tickets. Many had traveled long distances to attend 2026 World Cup games, and refunds offered little solace after they had spent significant sums to reach the stadiums.

"Fans were misled and purchased World Cup tickets for exorbitant amounts, only to suffer immense financial losses. This marks a new low for the sports ticketing industry, which has repeatedly been plagued by consumer protection issues, to the detriment of the supporters who make the sport special," the complaint states.

The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in damages for the thousands of individuals in the United States who did not receive their World Cup tickets purchased through the StubHub platform.

The ticket resale company responded by stating they would not comment on the specific case but added: "Our sole objective is to get fans to events, and if something goes wrong, our FanProtect Guarantee ensures ticket replacements or a full refund. The World Cup is no different, and the issues fans encountered primarily stemmed from the organizer's own ticketing infrastructure."