A federal lawsuit filed in New York this week seeks to hold ticket resale giant StubHub liable for what plaintiffs describe as a systematic failure to deliver World Cup 2026 tickets, leaving fans who had travelled across North America stranded outside stadiums. The complaint, brought by two California residents, alleges that StubHub engaged in “false and misleading” sales practices and violated its own FanProtect Guarantee, which promises replacement tickets or a full refund. The legal action follows weeks of public complaints from supporters in the United States, Mexico and Canada who say they paid large sums only to have orders cancelled at the last minute, often after incurring substantial travel and accommodation costs.

Viewed from San Francisco, where StubHub is headquartered, the company attributes the disruptions to what it calls “significant performance issues” with FIFA’s new ticketing application, arguing that problems transferring tickets across resale platforms are largely driven by the event organiser’s infrastructure. FIFA, based in Zurich, rejects that characterisation. In a statement, the governing body said it has “no visibility over, or control of, secondary market ticket transactions” and insisted its own platform is “operating reliably.” FIFA encourages purchases through its official marketplace, where it levies a 30 per cent surcharge on resold tickets, a fee structure that industry analysts in London note creates a strong incentive for buyers to turn to third-party platforms despite the risks.

Industry specialists in North America point to the practice of speculative ticketing as a central factor in the crisis. Unverified sellers list tickets they do not yet possess, betting they can acquire them at a lower price closer to match day. When prices surge, those sellers cancel the original transaction to resell at a higher margin, leaving the initial buyer with only a refund for the ticket price and no compensation for ancillary expenses. The lawsuit states that plaintiff Julie Reeker Moghal paid $1,905 for three tickets to a group-stage match in Inglewood, California, but never received them or a refund, while co-plaintiff Reuben Renteria spent $2,294 on two tickets for a match in Guadalajara, Mexico, and was refunded only after repeated complaints, without recovering his travel costs.

The complaint, which seeks class-action status, asks the court to bar StubHub from selling World Cup tickets and to order that any profits from those sales be distributed to affected customers. It also demands at least $5 million in damages. StubHub has declined to comment on the pending litigation but reiterated that its “singular goal is to get fans into events.” FIFA has not directly addressed the lawsuit. The case now moves to a preliminary phase in which the court will consider whether to certify the class, a decision that legal observers in New York say could shape the liability of secondary ticketing platforms during major international tournaments.