Soccer fans file class

Soccer fans file class-action lawsuit against StubHub over cancelled World Cup tickets

Proposed class action filed in Manhattan federal court seeks unspecified damages of at least $5 million US

Soccer fans in the U.S. are suing StubHub, accusing the resale platform of failing to deliver expensive tickets for the FIFA World Cup that they bought on the secondary market.

In a proposed class action filed late Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, fans claimed they "did not get what they paid for" because StubHub never delivered their promised tickets for the world's premier soccer tournament.

StubHub did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fans have flooded social media during the tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, blaming the resale platform for last-minute ticket cancellations and for backing away from assurances they could get replacement tickets.

StubHub cancels thousands of World Cup tickets, leaving fans furious and heartbroken

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Many ticket holders say they travelled long distances to watch matches, and refunds offered little comfort because they remained stuck with airfare and lodging costs.

"[Fans] were lied to and purchased World Cup tickets for large sums of money — only to incur tremendous financial losses," the complaint said. "This is a new low for a sports ticketing industry that has been rampant with consumer protection issues time and time again to the detriment of the fans who make sports special."

StubHub cancelled World Cup tickets. Buyers want an investigation

StubHub has blamed FIFA's ticketing infrastructure for problems with ticket resales.

FIFA had urged fans to only ⁠use its own official resale platform, saying it was reliable.

Lawsuit calls case 'new low' for industry

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages of at least $5 million US for thousands of people in the United States who didn't receive World Cup tickets they bought through StubHub, for alleged violations of various consumer protection and false advertising laws.

"This is a new low for a sports ticketing industry that has been rampant with consumer protection issues time and time again to the detriment of the fans who make sports special," the lawsuit states.

"StubHub continues to not only sell World Cup Tickets for which it is not authorized but also includes warranties called the Fan Protect Guarantee … which affirmatively promise the authenticity of these World Cup Tickets."

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Scott Friedman, a 20-year ticketing industry executive in Cleveland and host of the Ticket Talk Network podcast, has described the situation as "one of the biggest collapses in the history of ticketing."

"StubHub is famous for this — not just for the FIFA World Cup but for other events all over the globe. It’s that they allow speculative ticketing," Friedman said. "So speculative ticketers are basically sellers selling tickets they don't have."

The practice, banned in a handful of U.S. states, has been blamed for similar mass cancellation ticket fiascos involving high-profile tours by Oasis and Olivia Rodrigo.

No tickets on game day despite constant assurances from StubHub

Last Friday, B.C.'s attorney general announced an investigation into StubHub over its handling of tickets for the FIFA World Cup.

B.C. launches probe into StubHub over World Cup resale ticket fiasco

Both Canada's Competition Bureau and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission declined to comment on whether they are investigating.

FIFA, soccer's governing body, has referred all of CBC's questions about the ticket cancellations to StubHub.

With files from Dave Seglins and Albert Leung