World Cup Fans Lose $485 Tickets at Gates as FIFA, StubHub Clash Over Transfers
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 19
World Cup Fans Lose $485 Tickets at Gates as FIFA, StubHub Clash Over Transfers
2 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 19
Summary
$485-a-seat tickets bought on StubHub left some fans outside Atlanta's Spain-Cape Verde match when transfers to FIFA's app failed, with an AP reporter seeing more than a dozen similar cases.
StubHub blamed FIFA's new app, transfer restrictions and weak technology, while FIFA said only tickets sold through its official marketplace are guaranteed to work.
Industry experts said the breakdowns likely reflect both technical glitches and speculative sellers who list tickets they do not yet own, then cancel when surging World Cup prices make fulfillment too costly.
StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee offers replacement tickets or refunds at its sole discretion, leaving some buyers with money back or store credit but no way into matches where resale prices had jumped above $1,500.
The complaints broaden earlier reports of isolated transfer failures into a wider World Cup ticketing problem, highlighting the risks of buying outside FIFA's resale channel, which charges a 30% surcharge.