Texas Attorney General Investigates StubHub Over World Cup Ticket Cancellations

The Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is investigating reports that ticket marketplace StubHub is cancelling or failing to provide World Cup tickets that fans have purchased.

The OAG has received reports that StubHub cancelled tickets days or hours before the game’s kickoff, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a Friday (July 3) press release.

These complaints point to “ghost ticketing,” in which sellers list tickets they don’t possess, collect payment and cancel when they can’t deliver, Paxton said.

“In many cases, attending a World Cup match is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Paxton said. “If StubHub is ghost ticketing Texans out of that experience, my office will use every tool available to hold them accountable and help fans who have been wronged.”

Reached by PYMNTS, a StubHub spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the company offers replacement tickets or a full refund.

“StubHub was founded with the mission of making buying tickets easier and safer, and for 26 years we’ve helped millions of fans access the events they love,” the statement said. “The World Cup is no exception, but even a single bad experience is deeply disappointing for fans and for us.”

“That’s why, in the rare instance that problems arise, our FanProtect Guarantee provides replacement tickets or a full refund — and why we are working tirelessly to resolve ticket transfer issues and get every fan into their match,” the statement said.

In the OAG’s Friday press release, Paxton encouraged Texans who purchased World Cup tickets through StubHub and either did not receive them or received tickets inferior to what they paid for, to file a complaint with the OAG’s Consumer Protection Division via its online complaint form.

In another, separate case, Paxton was one of four states’ attorneys general who had announced by mid-June that they were investigating the ticketing practices of World Cup governing body FIFA.

Paxton said June 9 that he had received several complaints from consumers who may have been misled about the locations of seats they were purchasing and that he launched an investigation into FIFA’s practices.

“I will work to ensure that FIFA is engaging in ethical and honest business practices so that Texas fans are treated fairly,” Paxton said at the time in a press release.