Jeremy Wright bought two tickets on StubHub to see the Netherlands vs Japan match on June 14 but was told only five hours before kickoff that his tickets could not be delivered [1, 2, 3]. StubHub emailed him claiming new tickets were found at no extra cost under its FanProtect Guarantee, but when Wright tried to claim them, his only option was a refund [1, 2, 3]. After hours attempting to resolve the issue with customer support, Wright gave up and returned home without attending the match [1, 2, 3].
Dozens of other fans reported similar last-minute cancellations on StubHub this month, often following the same pattern of false assurances about replacement tickets [1, 2, 3]. StubHub is a resale-only platform and not an official World Cup ticket partner; it neither owns the tickets nor sets prices [1, 2, 3].
A StubHub spokesperson said the problems stem from delivery issues by sellers complicated by FIFA’s ticketing infrastructure that affects ticket transfers across resale platforms [1, 2, 3]. FIFA, however, called on fans to use only its official resale platform, saying it is the only reliable way to guarantee ticket delivery and rejected claims that the issues stem from its ticket system. "FIFA rejects any suggestion that the functional issues being experienced by users of third-party platforms with respect to FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets are the result of FIFA's ticketing infrastructure," the organization said [1].
FIFA charges a 30% commission on resales through its official platform [1, 2, 3].
Jeremy Wright had purchased the tickets on StubHub as a Christmas gift in December 2025 and traveled from Austin to Dallas for the game before learning about the ticket cancellation [1, 2, 3]. Reports of mass last-minute cancellations on StubHub circulated widely on social media by June 26 [1, 2]. Media coverage on June 27 highlighted ongoing conflicts between StubHub ticket issues and FIFA’s official platform oversight [3].
