The dream of going to a FIFA World Cup match is one many soccer fans can relate to, but for some fans, it’s not going as they imagined. Fans are buying tickets on the StubHub website, but they’re not always delivered on time or matched to what was purchased. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxt on announced an investigation into StubHub over issues with World Cup ticket purchases. StubHub has blamed the cancellations on “transfer problems” tied to FIFA’s ticketing platform. Paxton claims consumer complaints point to a broader pattern often called “ghost ticketing,” in which sellers list tickets they do not actually possess, collect payment, and then cancel when they cannot deliver. “In many cases, attending a World Cup match is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 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,” said Paxton. Texans who purchased World Cup tickets through StubHub and did not receive them, or received tickets significantly inferior to what they paid for, are encouraged to file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. NBC 5’s sister station, Telemundo 39, spoke with a California viewer about a similar ordeal. Edgar Correa’s wife wanted to make his World Cup dream a reality. “So then she bought them and told me, ‘Hey, you won’t believe it. I’ve got World Cup tickets,’ and I was like, ‘That’s awesome,’” said Edgar Correa, who never received the World Cup tickets bought through StubHub. The tickets were for the Bosnia-Switzerland match at Los Angeles Stadium on June 18; they bought the tickets on June 11. Plans were in place. “I’d already requested the day off work, we’d already booked a hotel, we’d already paid for parking. I mean, we had a lot of things planned,” Correa said. The Correas paid $941.05 for two tickets in Section 311, Row 15. But as the day got closer and they still didn’t have the tickets, worry started to set in. “According to this, the seller has until one hour before the event to send the tickets,” Correa said. After several calls and messages with StubHub, the Correas received this message informing them: “Unfortunately, your order was not processed. This means the transaction was not completed and, therefore, no tickets were reserved for you,” Correa said. “It makes you angry because you spend a lot … time, money, and so many things to be there and then they just tell you, ‘No,’ not even, ‘Sorry.’” When we contacted StubHub about Correa’s specific ticket case, they told us they understand that attending the World Cup represents a considerable investment of time and money and that they take that responsibility to every fan very seriously. They added that a refund is being processed in accordance with their “fanprotect” guarantee, and that their customer service team is also offering the customer a credit for what happened. They also explained that “the issues fans have experienced at this World Cup are largely due to performance failures in the event organizer’s own ticketing infrastructure, which has caused transfer errors across all resale platforms.” In response, a FIFA spokesperson explained in a statement: “The official FIFA ticketing platform for the FIFA World Cup 2026 operates reliably and at scale, as demonstrated by the more than 4.6 million spectators who have attended matches to date, with tickets purchased, delivered, resold, transferred, and successfully validated through FIFA systems.” “FIFA rejects any suggestion that the functional problems experienced by users of third-party platforms in relation to tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ are the result of FIFA’s ticketing infrastructure.” But despite the situation, Edgar made his dream come true. “I started looking on FIFA, and by chance I found two tickets, and on top of that they cost me more, and I ended up way at the very top,” Correa said. And he says the situation taught him a lesson. “Like FIFA said, look on our website,” Correa said. The FAQ section on FIFA’s website states that for any ticket sold through another platform, buyers must contact that platform directly, since FIFA cannot access or manage those tickets. It also recommends buying tickets only through FIFA’s official site. World Cup NBC 5 Responds Jul 1 Customer says StubHub seating map didn't match the tickets he received NBC 5 Responds Jun 22 Ticket trouble resolved for young North Texas soccer fan ...read more read less