When Kimberly Robeson showed up to Los Angeles Stadium Monday to watch Iran take on New Zealand in the FIFA World Cup, she was disappointed to find out that, despite purchasing tickets, she wouldn’t be able to enter the venue.

Robeson told NBCLA she purchased her tickets through StubHub, a third-party ticketing website, but when she went to access the tickets, StubHub correctly redirected her to the FIFA ticketing website, where the tickets were unavailable for download.

“We’re a little bit disappointed. I’m neutral. I’m LA. Wanted to see Iran and New Zealand, and our tickets are not downloading,” Robeson said. “We bought them and they’re there, but we cannot download that because there’s a problem, supposedly, with a secondary site, the secondary site that will download the StubHub ticket.”

The secondary site is FIFA’s official ticketing portal.

To curb counterfeit tickets and scalping, FIFA uses a “closed” mobile ticketing system that only allows fans to access official World Cup tickets directly from its official ticketing site or app.

When selling tickets through third-party ticketing services, like StubHub, the ticket seller is required to initiate the transfer of the tickets prior to the match.

Sites like StubHub must then redirect ticket buyers to the FIFA ticketing portal to download the actual passes used to enter the game.

In addition, FIFA tickets and barcodes may not be visible or downloadable until a few hours before kickoff, even after the buyer accepts the transfer, according to StubHub’s website.

Unfortunately for Robeson, it appears that transfer did not happen in time, forcing her to miss out on the match.

In response, StubHub released a statement that reads, in part: “Many of the issues fans are facing trace back to the event organizer’s poor technology infrastructure, newly-announced transfer restrictions, and a new app that was launched just a month ago ahead of such a major event. All of these decisions by the event organizer have created significant confusion and delays for fans.”

In response, FIFA did not address the specific issue but said: “FIFA.com/tickets is the official ticket sales channel for the FIFA World Cup 2026. FIFA can guarantee the validity and delivery of tickets purchased through its official platforms.”

NBC4 has reached out to FIFA with further questions and is awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, Robeson said StubHub has already offered her a refund.

“We have some really great seats in there,” she said. “We’re very disappointed because, I mean, this is our hometown and how many opportunities do you get to see, you know, the World Cup here?”

About the 2026 World Cup

The 48-team group stage lasts until June 27, then the top two teams in each group, along with the eight best third-place finishers, will advance to the Round of 32 beginning on June 28.

The remaining winning teams will then play in the Round of 16 starting on July 4. The quarterfinals will be held on July 9, and the semifinals will be held on July 14 and July 15, leading up to the championship match at MetLife Stadium on July 19.

Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament, is one of the venues that will host the international soccer tournament. There are five group stage matches at the stadium and three knockout phase games

There are five group stage matches at the stadium and three knockout phase games

June 12: USA v. Paraguay
June 15: Iran v. New Zealand
June 18: Switzerland v. Bosnia and Herzegovina
June 21: Belgium v. Iran
June 25: USA v. Türkiye
June 28: Round of 32 match
July 2: Round of 32 match
July 10: Quarterfinal

Other U.S. host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the Bay Area.

Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey are Mexico’s host cities. Toronto and Vancouver will host matches in Canada.