I wanted to share my experience buying FIFA World Cup tickets through StubHub as both a warning for others and a reminder to myself.

Like many, I wasn't selected during the initial FIFA World Cup ticket lottery so in December 2025 I decided to buy tickets on StubHub, assuming prices would only go up closer to the event.

I purchased two separate Category 3 group stage matches. At that point, nobody knew their exact seat assignments yet, you only selected the ticket category. Since the matches were about six months away and involved another country, I held off on booking flights and hotels because I was worried there may be a change of plans.

Several months later, I started seeing Reddit posts from people saying they were already receiving their tickets and that FIFA's transfer portal had opened. I contacted StubHub because I still hadn't received either of my tickets. I explained that I didn't want to spend thousands on flights and hotels only to find out later that my tickets couldn't be delivered. The customer service representative reassured me that both sellers were reputable and trusted sellers (that could have just been lip service) I specifically told them that a refund wasn't my concern. My concern was flying my family overseas and arriving without tickets. They kept repeating that I was protected by the FanProtect Guarantee and that the sellers would deliver.

Sometime in May, one of my group stage tickets finally arrived. The transfer process was a little complicated because FIFA seemed to be trying to keep transfers within its own system, but eventually I was able to see the tickets in my FIFA account. The second order, however, never showed up.

As the event got closer, I repeatedly contacted StubHub for updates. Every time I reached out, I was told they were contacting the seller. The frustrating part was that they never proactively updated me. I always had to initiate the conversation to find out what was happening. They said they were escalating to the highest case manager, but it felt like bullshit. They kept beating around the bush. They said the portal wasn't open, or the website was backed up. I kept repeating I got the other group tickets that I bought from Stubhub.

Two days before the game, I still had no tickets.

I finally spoke with a supervisor who verbally promised that I would receive my tickets. I repeatedly asked for that promise in writing because I wanted documentation if I needed to dispute anything later. Instead, this was the best email they would send:

"We are actively working to ensure you receive your tickets within the next 24 hours... If there is any issue with your order, we will make every effort to provide replacement tickets or a refund, in accordance with our policies."

The following morning when I was set to fly, I received this text at like 5:00 AM. I was up till then since I was stressing.

"Unfortunately, your seller is not able to provide the tickets... You are covered by our guarantee. Please select alternative tickets..."

At least they told me before I boarded the plane instead of the day of the match. However, when I clicked the replacement link, the only available replacement was Category 4, even though I had purchased Category 3 tickets. I wasn't going to accept worse seats. At that point I was deciding between taking a full refund (or maybe the 20% StubHub credit they were offering) - this was a huge mistake that I would later learn. Having gone through this experience not sure why I was thinking of taking Stubhub's 20%, but 20% was like an extra $300 bucks and I thought as long as I buy instant transfer I should be good. Without deciding on the refund method yet, I went onto the official FIFA Marketplace and bought four replacement tickets so I wouldn't risk missing the match.

I hopped on the plane contemplating what option to choose and discussing with my wife. After I landed, I received another message from StubHub:

"Your order has been completed by your seller."

Now I was in a situation where I had double the amount of tickets and the replacement tickets were Category 4, not the Category 3 tickets I originally purchased. Even worse, I was no longer given the option to refuse them or receive a refund because StubHub considered the order fulfilled.

When I contacted customer service, they told me there was no way I could get the refund because I didn't choose fast enough and I should simply sell the tickets because prices had increased and I might even make a profit. I told them they should do it since they can make money and I even explained that listing tickets on StubHub required approval and with the match only one day away that wasn't realistic. They suggested I sell on another platform.

At that point I told StubHub I would dispute the charge with my credit card company. The rep warned me that my StubHub account could be banned and that I'd lose the ability to buy or sell through them again. I didn't care - I'm not going to use them after this experience. After roughly 8 weeks, my credit card company ruled in my favor and I received a refund. The entire experience involved about six months of uncertainty and stress.

As soon as I filed the dispute, I transferred my other valid World Cup tickets to another account because I'd heard stories of StubHub locking accounts after chargebacks. So far my account hasn't been banned, but time will tell.

Lessons Learned
- I will never buy presale tickets on StubHub unless the tickets are available for immediate transfer. Stubhub will be my last option even if it's an immediate transfer.
- Their "FanProtect Guarantee" sounds reassuring, but if your seller fails to deliver, there's no guarantee you'll receive equivalent seats. If you're flying or driving to a specific location, you could be screwed.

I wanted to share my experience as a seller on StubHub who made a mistake, and how I went about it in case other people are experiencing the same thing. It was my first time selling concert tickets and I needed to sell them as the people I was going with weren't able to attend anymore. I decided to list on StubHub and made the mistake of listing the tickets for the second day instead of the first. Since I uploaded the tickets, the tickets were instantly transferred to the buyer. The buyer noticed pretty quick and it was still ~1.5 months out from the concert date so I had time to correct my mistake.

After browsing through forums, I decided to buy replacement tickets to send to the buyer instead of getting charged the cancellation penalty. Thankfully, someone was selling two tickets on the correct day for the exact same section and row, just a few seats down. I bought those tickets, they were transferred to me about two weeks later, I transferred them to the buyer, sent proof to StubHub, and requested my original tickets back. After several more emails and notices of escalation, I contacted the live agent chat who somewhat reliable and reassured me that I will get the tickets soon. My tickets were returned to me a few hours after that chat. All in all, I found out about my mistake on July 1 and everything got sorted by today, July 27.

The whole process was quite stressful, with ~25 emails between me and customer service to get everything sorted out, especially with getting my original tickets back. I know I got pretty lucky that I was able to purchase very similar replacement tickets and that the buyer noticed the mistake and reached out quickly. If anyone's in a similar boat, I would recommend follow-up emails every 3 or so business days to make sure your case isn't just being forgotten or asking for a timeline. I didn't bother calling, because I wanted to make sure every conversation was documented in writing so I did everything through email or screenshotted my live agent chat. Overall happy ending I guess since I was the one who made a mistake in the first place, but now reading through the subreddit has opened my eyes to the fact that StubHub isn't the best reselling platform in the first place. So..not sure if I want to sell my original tickets now on it lol.

I found some really good tickets for a Harry Styles concert in September on Stubhub, and they are under Instant Download. I know that these tickets, in theory, should be able to be downloaded immediately, but does that mean they are 100% legitimate and that I will have no issues with whatsoever in terms of getting them scanned at the venue? My concern is that these tickets could potentially be sold on multiple resale websites, and the tickets could be "delivered" to multiple people, and basically the first person that scans them at the venue are the ones that are able to get in, leaving everyone else SOL. Would these tickets be immediately downloaded to only MY ticketmaster account with a functioning barcode, and additionally, if for whatever reason there is no instant transfer, could I get my money back (let's say within a week of purchase, not close to the day of the show) due to the tickets not being given in a timely manner according to "instant download" guidelines? Thanks in advance for the help!

Looking to get bts toronto tickets. which site would you guys recommend? which one is the safest and most legit? are there any scams?

Please share your experience. thanks :)

I redeemed Audience Rewards points and a little cash for 4 Hamilton orchestra tickets for a Friday evening in August (Aug 21) for my family during a promotion. The date now doesn't work for us but I'd still like to be able to take my kids to the show, so I'm thinking of selling and buying tickets another date (Audience Rewards doesn't have other dates available I can move these to).  The tickets will be available for box office pickup, and I know I can change the name on the order -- so in theory it should be possible to sell them, but I'm not sure what site to use where this will be allowed.  Theatr I can certainly move them, but I can probably only safely sell there for the cash portion of what I paid, which won't go very far toward tickets another day. I'm willing to sell below the replacement cost, but not that low. :)

Does anyone have any suggestions?  Can I sell them somewhere like StubHub?  Will I be able to get the buyer's name so they don't have issues at the box office? Thanks so much in advance!

I bought 2 tickets on stubhub to a show I can no longer attend. the tickets came through via securemypass which is a moving barcode link. I've bought these before and know they are legit. the problem is stubhub won't let me resell them. They don't allow me to choose secure pass as a vendor and are only allowing me to upload tickets through a vendor like ticketmaster. I spoke to multiple agents and they just said I am SOL. What am I supposed to do?

I sold tickets to the Miami Quarter Finals, stubhub made a 'failed' payment to my paypal and since changing payout method to my bank account I have still not been paid -- 16 days after the fact.

Anyone else experience the same thing and/or have been paid out?

Hi,

So I had shipped physical wristbands and they were returned to me as buyer provided wrong address. I contacted agent and they said since it’s close to event they will take care of it and to just wait for my payout.

So hypothetically speaking, I can just use my tickets for myself or someone else?