The National Independent Stadium Association is seeking to push federal lawmakers to get so-called “scalping tickets” banned, citing reports of fans of FIFA World Cup matches who were turned away from games after purchasing tickets they couldn’t actually get.
In a letter to Senate and Congressional Leaders Mike Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, John Thune, and Chuck Schumer, NIVA detailed local news reports and testimony from numerous fans who have tried to attend games across the country since the World Cup began last week, only to be told before the event that their tickets could not be delivered.
Ticket scalping is among the most controversial practices in the live events industry, with critics likening the strategy to fraud. Through scalping tickets — or as NIVA literally calls them “ghost tickets” — brokers list tickets they don’t yet own on platforms like StubHub and VividSeats, in hopes of eventually landing tickets in the public seating area they’ve listed. If they can’t get the actual tickets, they’re out of luck. Ticketing platforms typically refund buyers for purchases themselves, but this doesn’t take into account travel expenses they may have accrued for flights, hotels, parking or other purchases.
“Instead of showcasing America’s ability to host the largest sporting event in the world, less than 1
A week after the start of the 2026 World Cup, the international conversation is off
Tickets, fraudulent rosters, fans turned away at the gates, and consumers left holding thousands
“of dollars in non-refundable travel costs,” NIVA said in its letter.
Ticket scalping has long been a struggle in the music business, with major concert tours being among the most sought-after events in live entertainment and often a source of frustration for fans as they deal with long lines and high prices as they try to secure seats. Brokers often list speculative tickets for those tours before the sale begins, hoping some desperate fans will panic buy.
There is currently no federal law prohibiting scalping tickets, although some states such as Maryland and Oregon have banned the practice. NIVA warned in the letter Thursday that a ticketing bill currently being considered by Congress would allow private ticketing to continue if passed.
NIVA has pushed for a ban on ticket scalping for years, and other larger stakeholders like Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, have championed the legislation as well.
“We have warned that consumers will purchase tickets that do not exist,” NIVA wrote in its letter. “We warned that families would travel thousands of miles only to discover that their tickets could not be delivered. We warned that refunds would not keep consumers whole after airfare, hotels, car rentals, parking and other travel expenses. Unfortunately, every one of these warnings has become a reality on the world’s biggest sporting stage.”
