A potential class-action lawsuit has been filed against StubHub, alleging the ticket vendor canceled customers' World Cup tickets at the last minute, leading to significant financial losses. Two California residents are at the forefront of the suit, claiming they spent thousands of dollars on tickets only to have their orders canceled hours before matches were set to begin.
One plaintiff, Reuben Renteria of Los Angeles, purchased two tickets for $2,294 to a World Cup match between Mexico and Korea on June 18. According to court papers filed in Manhattan federal court, Renteria traveled to Mexico for the game only to discover StubHub had canceled his order. He was eventually refunded the ticket cost a week later after lodging complaints, but the suit alleges he incurred further expenses for travel and lost time due to being misled.
Julia Reeker Moghal, an Orange County resident, faced a similar situation for a match on June 18 at SoFi Stadium. She bought three tickets for $1,905 but was unable to enter the venue after StubHub canceled her order. Court documents state that Moghal spent hours on the phone with StubHub, which initially deemed the tickets null before promising to deliver them an hour before the game. This did not occur, and she has not yet received a refund for her tickets, according to the filing.
The lawsuit charges that Renteria and Moghal were "lied to" and incurred "tremendous financial losses" including travel expenses, lost work time, and other ancillary costs. The court papers allege this represents a "new low for a sports ticketing industry that has been rampant with consumer protection issues."
According to the suit, many World Cup ticket purchasers faced a choice between buying from StubHub, described as an unauthorized third-party reseller, or from FIFA at what the suit calls "astronomical prices they simply cannot afford." The plaintiffs claim that hundreds of World Cup fans purchased tickets only to find they either did not exist, were revoked without warning, or were invalidated due to what FIFA termed "poor digital infrastructure."
The filing notes that these issues persist despite StubHub's Fan Protect Guarantee. Both Renteria and Moghal have reported their experiences to the Federal Trade Commission and are seeking unspecified damages. Reports indicate that numerous individuals have come forward with similar stories of canceled World Cup tickets, leading to calls for regulatory investigations. The Attorney General in British Columbia has reportedly launched an investigation into the matter.