Fans Who Were Ripped Off By World Cup Ticketing Are Pressuring Lawmakers To Act. A raft of fan complaints over ticketing problems for the 2026 World Cup have brought pressure on US lawmakers to address fraud.
Both the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the Fan Alliance jointly lobbied Congress to consider more robust consumer protections against speculative and ghost ticket sales – attempts by resellers to sell tickets they don’t yet own.
In a letter sent to congressional leaders, both organizations noted a handful of cases in which supporters purportedly lost a significant sum for tickets that never materialized: Dacy Gillespie bought World Cup tickets for her sons as a Christmas gift, but the ticket vendor came up short the day of the match and could not produce them.
Skylie Shore purchased 2026 World Cup tickets for Scotland’s match versus Haiti on a reselling platform and apparently spent more than $6,000, only to be turned away at the gate.
NIVA’s Executive Director Stephen Parker and Fan Alliance’s founder Donald Cohen said these kinds of instances undermine consumer confidence in ticket sales and are pushing for tougher punishments for fraudulent ticket sellers, price-gouging measures and more transparency from reselling platforms.
A StubHub spokesperson said their site does not enable speculative sales and cited the FIFA ticketing system as the source of certain fan problems. For their part, a FIFA spokesperson noted: “Any tickets sold on FIFA’s official ticketing platforms will be valid.” Local law enforcement and consumer protection agencies are monitoring these instances of ticketing fraud during the event.
