For fans who saved for months and booked flights and hotels, the message arrived like a gut punch: the World Cup tickets they had bought on StubHub were gone, sometimes just days before kickoff.

What happened

Thousands of buyers say their resale tickets to 2026 World Cup matches were cancelled without a clear explanation, CBC News reported, in some cases after they had already traveled. The fallout has spawned legal action — a proposed class action seeking damages, reported at a minimum of several million dollars — and at least one government inquiry into the company's practices.

StubHub vs. FIFA

The two sides point at each other. StubHub has attributed the problem to "transfer" failures, saying FIFA's ticketing system and a newly launched app had "significant performance issues" affecting resales across platforms, and that the "vast majority" of its orders were fulfilled, Newsweek reported. FIFA rejects that framing: it told NPR it has "no visibility over, or control of," transactions on third-party platforms, which "occur entirely independently" of its official system.

Part of the issue, consumer advocates say, is "speculative" listing — sellers offering tickets they don't yet hold, betting they can source them later. When the transfer fails, the buyer is left with nothing but a refund. StubHub points to its "FanProtect" guarantee, which promises a refund or replacement; affected fans counter that replacements were often far pricier, and that refunds don't cover the airfare and hotels already booked.

The Los Angeles angle

Los Angeles, one of 11 U.S. host cities, is squarely exposed. Resale prices for LA-area matches have run far above face value, and at least one buyer reported being unable to download a Los Angeles ticket bought through StubHub on FIFA's official site. The city's main venue has drawn its own scrutiny: a widely cited study ranked SoFi Stadium in Inglewood last among U.S. host venues for fan experience, KTLA reported, citing steep prices. For Angelenos planning to buy in, the episode is a pointed warning.

The bottom line

FIFA runs an official resale platform that caps prices near face value and uses verification features third-party sites lack — a system fans are now being urged to prefer. StubHub says its guarantee makes buyers whole. But for those who missed matches they had planned their summer around, the promise of a refund has been cold comfort, and the dispute over who is responsible is now headed, in part, to court.