World Cup fans sue StubHub over canceled resale tickets

World Cup fans filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against StubHub in Manhattan federal court on July 1, 2026, accusing the resale platform of failing to deliver tickets they paid for and seeking at least $5 million in damages. The complaint alleges buyers across the U.S. never received tickets they had purchased for matches in a tournament already shadowed by complaints over prices, transfer failures and last-minute cancellations.

Jeremy Wright said he and his wife drove from Austin to Dallas after buying two Netherlands-Japan tickets through StubHub, then got an email five hours before kickoff saying the tickets could not be delivered. Wright said StubHub initially told him replacement tickets had been found, but the only option he was ultimately given was a refund. Jeff Ripley of Spokane, Washington, said he paid $4,600 for three tickets to a U.S. match in Seattle on June 19, only to be told the day before the game that the seller could not provide the tickets. Ripley and his family filed complaints with the Washington state attorney general and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, calling the situation fraud.

In Atlanta, Bina Ramroop said she paid $485 per ticket for World Cup seats for her grandson’s 13th birthday and spent hours outside the stadium after the tickets failed to materialize. Ramroop said StubHub and FIFA each blamed the other as she tried to get into the match.

StubHub does not comment on pending litigation, but says its FanProtect Guarantee offers replacement tickets or a full refund if there is a problem with original tickets. The company has also blamed the breakdowns largely on the event organizer’s ticketing infrastructure. FIFA has urged fans to use its official resale platform and says its ticketing system has operated reliably at scale, while insisting its own platform is the only one through which it can guarantee proper delivery of tickets.

FIFA used dynamic pricing for World Cup 2026 ticket sales, and its official resale marketplace charges a combined 30% fee, split between buyer and seller, a structure that pushed some fans toward third-party resale sites. British Columbia’s attorney general has already announced an investigation into StubHub’s handling of World Cup resale tickets.