By Shariq Khan and Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) - Jeremy Wright knew exactly what he wanted to gift his wife, Sarah, for Christmas last year: tickets to a World Cup soccer game.
Wright used U.S. resale platform StubHub and snagged two tickets to watch the Netherlands take on Japan on June 14.
Or so he thought.
After more than 10 months of planning, the Wrights drove from Austin to Dallas and joined other fans in their hotel lobby to celebrate the occasion.
But their excitement turned to bitter
disappointment after an email from StubHub just five hours prior to kickoff informed them that their tickets could not be delivered.
That email, seen by Reuters, told Jeremy that StubHub had found new tickets at no extra cost, covering him under its "FanProtect Guarantee."
However, when he followed the steps to claim the new tickets, the only option StubHub gave him was to take a refund.
After hours waiting for and trying to get StubHub customer support to look into the issue, the Wrights gave up and drove back to Austin in the rain.
ANGRY TICKET BUYERS
The Wrights are among dozens of angry ticket buyers who took to social media this month after last-minute cancellations on StubHub left them without tickets they had purchased, often after similar assurances they would get replacement tickets.
It is also the latest ticketing issue surrounding the first North American World Cup in more than three decades, after world soccer governing body FIFA's decision to adopt dynamic pricing for the first time invited criticism from some fans.
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.
StubHub said FIFA's ticketing infrastructure was affecting ticket transfers across all resale platforms.
FIFA, which had urged fans to only use its own official resale platform, said its World Cup ticketing platform was operating reliably at scale and added that its resale and exchange marketplace is the only platform through which it can guarantee proper delivery of tickets.
"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 has charged 30% commission on resale of tickets on its official platform, meaning tickets there are often more expensive than on other sites. FIFA said the fees are aligned with industry standards across North America.
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.
Gillespie bought four tickets to Argentina's June 16 game against Algeria as a surprise Christmas gift for her two boys, but after driving the 250-odd miles from their home in St Louis to Kansas City, she got an email from StubHub on matchday that the seller could not deliver the tickets.
'GHOST TICKETS'
The core issue surrounding the StubHub problems is a practice known as 'speculative ticketing', said Scott Friedman, a ticketing expert who previously worked with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now runs the 'Ticket Talk Network', dedicated to exploring how seats for sports mega-events are bought and sold.
"Let's say (a seller) listed that ticket six months ago for $500. He's hoping to (buy) that ticket for less than $500 to make a profit and fill the ticket order," said Friedman. "Just like shorting the stock market."
But while tickets to sporting mega-events typically tend to go down over time on secondhand platforms, Friedman said, prices for World Cup tickets only went up as the tournament moved closer, leading to speculative sellers who were unable to fulfill orders without incurring a loss.
StubHub's official policy prohibits speculative ticketing but so-called 'ghost tickets' are still common, said Friedman, as it does not require sellers to give seat numbers when they list tickets.
Wright purchased his tickets on StubHub on September 6, 2025, four days before FIFA even launched its first official sales draw, indicating his tickets were very likely listed by a speculator. A screenshot of his order details reviewed by Reuters showed only that they were for 'Category 3' seating, and seat numbers were not listed on the order.
StubHub said it requires sellers to upload tickets or provide proof of purchase at the time of listing. Sellers who misrepresent inventory face financial penalties and account suspension, a spokesperson added.
PUBLIC PRESSURE LEADS TO STUBHUB RESPONSE, OTHERS STILL WAIT
The Wrights and Gillespie took to social media to voice their complaints and said they felt as though they only got a response from StubHub because those posts had gone viral.
StubHub offered the Wrights complimentary seats to a semi-final game. It also offered Gillespie $3,000 to cover part of the costs she incurred purchasing her own replacement tickets.
"We had to raise holy hell to get the attention," said Sarah Wright. "There's almost a survivor's guilt kind of feeling for us - we got (complimentary) tickets, but what about all the other people?"
StubHub has created a dedicated World Cup support team and expanded its capacity to source replacement tickets for affected customers, the company spokesperson said.
"Getting fans to their matches remains our top priority for the rest of this tournament," the spokesperson added.
BRAND DAMAGE
For StubHub, the World Cup ticketing issues could spell major long-term damage to the company's brand reputation, said Marsha-Gaye Knight, a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Tisch Institute for Global Sport.
The UK's markets watchdog this week ordered StubHub UK to refund more than 50,000 customers and pay a £900,000 ($1.19 million) fine for not showing people the total price upfront for tickets.
A global sporting event of the scale of the expanded 48-team World Cup - which set an aggregate attendance record for the tournament before all of the group stage games have even been played - shines a brighter spotlight on issues.
"For them (StubHub) to be the third party where they're supposed to provide this service with ease, and they've done it before, and they've done it with so many people, and they've gained that trust, for that trust to now get chipped away is very, very concerning for them," Knight said.
"From a brand perspective, this could be a nightmare for them."
Some of those who have faced last-minute cancellations on StubHub have called for legislators and regulators to investigate the issues.
The National Independent Venue Association, a trade body representing live entertainment venues, and fan advocacy group Fan Alliance wrote to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and others last week urging a ban on the sale of ghost tickets on resale platforms.
Johnson's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
($1 = 0.7574 pounds)
(Reporting by Shariq Khan and Amy Tennery in New York, and Rohith Nair in Miami; Editing by Ken Ferris)
