StubHub reported a net loss for the latest quarter after a surge of lawsuits alleged the company sold World Cup tickets that had never been issued. The news sent the company's share price tumbling on the New York Stock Exchange.
Canadian consumers caught in the fallout
Several Canadians who bought tickets through the platform discovered that their seats were not valid when they arrived at stadiums in the United States. One buyer, Rodrigue Alexandre, a Haitian‑American living in Toronto, said his family was denied entry to the Philadelphia venue despite having paid for tickets to watch Haiti play.
"StubHub can sell you a ticket but it is not transferred to you until it is officially issued by FIFA," Alexandre told Global News. The experience, he said, was the most frustrating he had encountered in a decade of attending sporting events.
The Canadian Competition Bureau has opened an inquiry into whether the resale model complies with consumer‑protection rules, and consumer‑rights groups are urging stricter oversight of online ticket markets.
Legal and regulatory response
Lawyer Bradford Clements, based in California, is representing more than two hundred plaintiffs who claim they never received the tickets they purchased on StubHub. He has filed 275 separate cases and has so far recovered US$2.2 million, which he says is only a fraction of the total losses.
According to Clements, the core problem was StubHub allowing third party sellers to list tickets before FIFA began its official ticketing process in September 2025. "Before then there was nothing. There were no tickets," he said.
Eric Baker, chief executive of StubHub, placed responsibility on FIFA's own ticketing infrastructure, describing the rollout as a "long process" that was "convoluted at times". Vijay Setlur, a professor at York University's Schulich School of Business, agreed that the governing body's system contributed to the confusion but warned that the resale platform also bears responsibility for vetting listings.
Technology analyst Carmi Levy said the market reaction reflects a sense of schadenfreude among investors who see the company's missteps as self‑inflicted. "In a way they kind of got what they deserved and I am sure there are a lot of people now who are not too upset," Levy told Global News.
The lawsuits could prompt tighter regulation of ticket resale platforms in Canada, where provincial consumer‑protection agencies already monitor online marketplaces. Companies that operate in the Canadian market may need to adjust their verification procedures to avoid similar exposure.
Based on reporting by Global News.