HOUSTON – A Texas family says their dream of attending a FIFA World Cup match at Houston Stadium was shattered less than 24 hours before kickoff when they learned the tickets they purchased months earlier would not be delivered.
The Dupee family traveled from Midland to Houston hoping to watch soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal take on Uzbekistan. Instead, they ended up watching the match from a Dave & Buster’s after receiving an email from StubHub saying the seller could not provide the tickets they purchased.
The family says they spent about $1,500 on three tickets, including one for 12-year-old Dallin Dupee, who received the tickets as a Christmas gift.
“Yes! It’s soccer World Cup tickets,” Dallin said as he opened the gift on Christmas morning.
The family documented the purchase and their interactions with StubHub through screenshots and emails, something experts say is important if ticket issues arise.
Angus Dupee said everything appeared to be on track until Monday night.
“Up into last night, we were ready to go, we thought,” Dupee said.
Then came an email from StubHub stating: “Your seller is not able to provide the tickets that you originally purchased.”
Dupee said he immediately contacted StubHub hoping to find replacement tickets.
“All they said is that you can get a refund,” he said.
According to StubHub’s website, the company’s FanProtect Guarantee promises buyers valid tickets, on-time delivery and states that if there is an issue with an order, customers will receive “comparable or better tickets or your money back.”
Dupee said he repeatedly asked for replacement seats and was willing to accept any available tickets inside NRG Stadium.
“If they could change their policy, they had tickets last night and they say they will get you upgraded tickets if yours are not available and I was trying to work with them like just give us anything, we will take anything in the stadium and if they had done that I would be happy. They just said you’re out of luck,” he said.
StubHub points to World Cup ticketing challenges
KPRC 2 reached out to StubHub with a list of questions about the family’s experience.
Can you confirm whether StubHub is aware of this specific case?
We have a dedicated team supporting World Cup customers and can confirm that we have contacted this customer to offer them tickets to attend an upcoming match in Houston, as soon as this Friday’s match. Please let us know if you hear from them regarding this.
What circumstances led to the original seller being unable to deliver the tickets?
The primary driver has been the event organizer’s ticketing infrastructure. The event organizer launched a new app immediately before the tournament began, and that system has had significant performance issues — delays, failed transfers, and access problems that have affected all resale platforms, not just StubHub. In the majority of cases where buyers received cancellation notices, the issue was that the transfer couldn’t complete through the event organizer’s system, not that the seller didn’t have the tickets.
How does StubHub determine whether replacement tickets are available under the FanProtect Guarantee? If tickets remain listed for sale on the platform, why might those tickets not be offered as replacement tickets to affected customers?
Replacement tickets are evaluated based on price, but given the challenges with the event organizer’s technology, we have expanded eligible capacity to source replacement tickets for customers.
Under what circumstances would a customer be offered only a refund instead of replacement tickets?
When a comparable replacement can’t be sourced in time, buyers receive a full refund under our FanProtect Guarantee.
Does StubHub prioritize replacement tickets for customers whose orders cannot be fulfilled?
Our top priority is getting fans into matches — a refund is always a last resort. Our teams are actively working to support each and every customer in this.
What would you say to customers who feel they are being forced to repurchase tickets at significantly higher prices after their original order falls through?
The vast majority of World Cup orders on StubHub have been fulfilled successfully —we’ve managed to get hundreds of thousands of fans to World Cup matches so far this year. The cases generating complaints represent a fraction of overall transactions, but we take each one seriously. If you’re having an issue with your order, contact us directly and ask for World Cup specialist support.
Has StubHub experienced an increase in ticket-delivery issues or replacement requests surrounding World Cup matches or other high-demand events?
What we are seeing is specific to this tournament. World Cup tickets are distributed and controlled entirely by the event organizer, transfers must flow through the event organizer’s own infrastructure, and the event organizer launched a new app right before the tournament began. That combination — centralized control, a new untested system, and compressed timelines — created transfer challenges that go beyond what we see at a typical live event. Those infrastructure issues are outside StubHub’s direct control, but our responsibility to fans is not, and we’ve been working around the clock to resolve outstanding cases.
ON THE RECORD: “The issues fans have experienced at this World Cup are largely driven by performance problems with the event organizer’s own ticketing infrastructure, which has created transfer failures across all resale platforms. Every StubHub order is backed by our FanProtect Guarantee, so when ticket transfer is interrupted, we work to find a comparable replacement ticket or issue a full refund. Getting fans to their matches is always the priority, and our teams are working through every case with that goal.”
What consumers should do
Experts recommend keeping copies of receipts, screenshots, emails and other documentation if a ticket purchase falls through.
They also say consumers who believe a company failed to honor an advertised policy or guarantee can file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
For now, the Dupee family says they are disappointed they missed the opportunity to see Ronaldo play in Houston, but hope sharing their story will help other fans avoid a similar experience.