Bina Ramroop broke down in tears when she realized she would not get the World Cup tickets she had bought for her grandson's 13th birthday. As thousands poured into Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday to watch Spain face Cape Verde in a remarkable scoreless draw, Ramroop stood outside, growing increasingly stressed as she went back and forth for hours between StubHub representatives on the phone and FIFA representatives at the ticket booth. Each party blamed the other.
No one could figure out why the tickets Ramroop purchased months ago on StubHub for $485 each could not be transferred from the original seller to the FIFA ticketing app. StubHub offered her a refund, and as Ramroop heard the crowd roar for the start of the match, she knew she had no choice but to give up and accept the offer.
A Grandmother's Disappointment
"I didn't want a refund, I didn't want my money back," Ramroop said. "I wanted to go to the game."
FIFA has urged fans to buy resale tickets through its own marketplace, where a 30% surcharge is applied—15% each from the buyer and seller. However, many fans bought through other resale sites out of habit or because those platforms offered lower prices or easier navigation. Ramroop did not realize she was taking a risk when she bought through StubHub, which she had used without issues in the past.
As she and her grandson Elijah Gomes took the long, lonely train ride back to the Atlanta suburbs, Elijah followed the score on his phone. The match ended scoreless, and he tried to cheer up his devastated grandmother by telling her they had not missed much (Cape Verdeans would disagree). "He's telling me, 'Grandma, it's OK, Grandma,' and he's trying to console me," Ramroop said the next day.
She was hardly alone. An Associated Press journalist witnessed more than a dozen frustrated fans at the match who reported similar situations.
Industry Blame Game
StubHub blamed FIFA for the transfer problems buyers like Ramroop experienced. In a statement, it said FIFA has "poor technology infrastructure," enacted last-minute transfer restrictions, and did not launch its new ticketing app until a few weeks before the tournament. The company also called out organizers for "taking anti-competitive actions" that limit where fans can buy and sell tickets. FIFA reiterated that sales through its official site are guaranteed to go through.
Longstanding Issues in Ticket Resale
Industry observers say the problems stem from multiple causes. For some, it may be technical glitches—StubHub says this is "very, very rare" and is working to resolve it. For others, it is likely a more longstanding issue: speculative sellers. Scott Friedman, an industry veteran, explained that some sellers list tickets before they have them, betting that prices will drop closer to the event. But because World Cup ticket prices have surged since the tournament began, those sellers have been forced to buy expensive tickets to fulfill orders or cancel and accept penalties.
"This is not new at all. This has been going on, but it's making global news because it's the World Cup," Friedman said. StubHub says it requires sellers to prove they have tickets before listing them. Regardless of the reason, Friedman argued that "StubHub should fill every single order to make sure fans get into the biggest global sporting event that happens every four years."
StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee promises replacement tickets or a refund if tickets fail to arrive. However, the policy states these remedies are provided at StubHub's "sole discretion," meaning the company can choose a refund over securing replacement seats. "That is pretty explicit language," said Michael McCann, a sports law expert at the University of New Hampshire. He noted that a buyer could challenge the language under state consumer protection laws, but it would be an uphill battle.
A Father's Regrets
Pape Ndaw was crestfallen when the high school graduation gift for his son—tickets for them to see the Netherlands and Japan near their home city of Dallas—never arrived. He bought the tickets for about $550 each in December. Two days before the June 14 match, he received an email from StubHub stating, "The seller can't deliver your original tickets." Ndaw accepted store credit instead of a refund, thinking he would quickly buy replacements, only to realize the cheapest last-minute tickets were over $1,500 each. Not only did they miss the game, but StubHub rejected his belated request for a refund instead of store credit. Breaking the news to his soccer-obsessed son was brutal. "It was a disastrous thing. He had told all his friends that he was going to that game. He literally cried. I mean, he is a 17-year-old kid, but he cried," Ndaw said.
