CA family almost loses chance to attend World Cup at Levi's Stadium after StubHub seller backs out

Updated 1 hour ago
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- We all know FIFA World Cup tickets are a hot commodity. Especially when USA is playing in the Bay Area!

But, what happens if the tickets you bought - suddenly disappeared on StubHub?

This one is relatable for anyone who's purchased highly sought after tickets on StubHub. You plan months in advance, invest thousands of dollars, and then comes the utter disappointment: Oops, the seller backed out.

RELATED: World Cup 2026 live updates: US beats Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 to advance to round of 16

Sanjay Kalra and his family are huge FIFA fans -- and couldn't wait to attend their first game in the Bay Area.



So much so, he bought tickets back in November. He says he was told from the seller he would receive the tickets a few days before the game.

His 10-year-old twins counting down the days!

"Then the us ended up being in the game and we were even more excited!" he said.

RELATED: World Cup 2026: Everything to know about games at Levi's Stadium, Bay Area watch parties and more

But that excitement quickly shifted, the day the United States qualified for the game. StubHub told him, they're actually not going to get the tickets because "the seller backed out."



StubHub offering a refund, but no replacement tickets.

"By that time - ticket prices had jumped 10 times - so even if I get the money back there's no way I can afford to buy replacement tickets," Kalra said.

Sanjay tried reporting his experience to four state and federal agencies - including the state attorney general's office with no luck, until he reached out to 7 On Your Side.

We intervened.

And the next day, StubHub called him back, reversing course, confirming replacement tickets. StubHub issued a statement to 7 On Your Side writing:



"The issues fans have experienced at this World Cup are largely transfer problems, not ticket problems. The event organizer's own ticketing infrastructure, including a new app launched right before the tournament began, has had significant performance issues that have affected transfers across all resale platforms. We've responded by standing up a dedicated world cup support team and expanding our capacity to source replacement tickets for affected customers. Every order is backed by our fanprotect guarantee, and getting fans to their matches remains our top priority for the REST of this tournament."

"I was really excited," Kalra said. "Luckily for me and people like you, I get to go to the game with my kids!"

Bottom line, if a seller can't deliver the tickets they sold - like in this case, they back out, or can't transfer them, StubHub's "Fanprotect guarantee" policy states -it will try to provide comparable or better replacement tickets.

MORE: Soccer fans' World Cup tickets vanish due to StubHub app glitch

If it can't, it will generally offer a full refund.



But, replacement tickets are not guaranteed.

Take a look at more stories and videos by 7 On Your Side.

7OYS's consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here. As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If we believe we can be of assistance, we will reach back out in response.



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