Thousands of football fans travelling to the 2026 World Cup have been caught up in one of the largest ticketing collapses in history. As football's biggest event continues across 16 cities in the US, Canada and Mexico, many fans are finding their dream tickets cancelled at the last minute on secondary marketplaces.
Speculative ticketing blamed for cancellations
The culprit is believed to be 'speculative ticketing', where unverified sellers list tickets they do not yet own, hoping to source them cheaper closer to the event. When ticket prices soar, sellers back out to resell for higher profit, leaving buyers empty-handed with refunds that don't cover travel costs.
One fan, Sergio Enrique Alvarado Montalvo, 45, paid $1,700 (£1,300) on StubHub to surprise his father with World Cup tickets, only to be told the seller could not deliver them. 'I was so sad and so frustrated, and so filled with rage, anger. It was a mix of feelings that is hard to explain,' he told BBC News.
Another family devastated
Eben Pingree, 44, from Boston, faced a nearly identical scenario after his wife Caitlin paid $2,800 on StubHub for tickets to the Scotland v Haiti match to surprise their 11-year-old son Cole. Despite coordinating an extensive trip, the tickets vanished on match day. 'They basically had to just leave us there, and so my son was just devastated,' they said.
Two separate football fans have filed a lawsuit against StubHub in a proposed class action on Tuesday, accusing the resale platform of failing to deliver tickets. Julie Reeker Moghal and Reuben Renteria said in a court filing they were acting on behalf of themselves and all others in a similar situation after paying at least $1,900 each for tickets that were never delivered.
Exorbitant travel costs add to woes
Throughout the tournament, fans have been hit by extraordinarily high prices, with some paying £111 for a 15-minute train to one of England's group games. This is nearly 12 times the usual $12.90 fare for a return trip.
On top of record-high match tickets, fans were expected to spend €150 (£111) for the short round-trip ticket. Yesterday, ahead of England's 2-1 triumph over D.R. Congo in the last 32, one fan explained how he had spent his £40,000 house deposit on a World Cup trip with his dad instead. Jack Goodwin told Metro: 'I saved up for a house, and I blew my whole house deposit to take me and my dad out here.'
