North Carolina State University, as well as an undetermined number of fans, is still awaiting more than one million dollars it’s owed after the relocation of its football season opener set to be played in Brazil this year.

NC State and the University of Virginia were scheduled to open the 2026 season with an Atlantic Coast Conference game in Rio de Janeiro on August 29. The matchup, branded as “College Football Brasil,” was originally set for Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and would have been the first FBS game ever played in South America. 

Athlete Advantage was the game’s organizer, which is a group “engaged in the business of planning, managing, marketing and executing athletic events,” according to NC State’s event participation agreement.

However, almost four months after it was announced the game would be canceled and relocated back to Charlottesville, Virginia, a spokesperson for the football program says Athlete Advantage has not yet delivered the $1.5 million cancellation fee it owes back to the university. 

The company has also not completed the refund process for fans who purchased travel packages for the game. According to the Brasil game’s website, it first estimated the refund process would “occur over approximately six (6) to eight (8) weeks.” 

According to a NC State Football spokesperson, it’s not clear how many people are missing refunds as a result of the canceled game. 

“We understand the frustration of ticket purchasers who are still waiting for refunds following the cancellation of the NC State–UVA game in Brazil. Ticket purchasers are currently receiving refunds, and we continue to work through the remaining refunds,” a Athlete Advantage spokesperson said. 

The company claims refund delays are a product of a delay in recovering deposits paid to its international partners for the event. 

Staton Noel, who purchased a travel package for $4,945, is one of an undetermined number of fans awaiting their refund from Athlete Advantage. Noel filed a complaint with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, one of two consumer complaints submitted to the Department of Justice about this matter. Additionally, WRAL received a similar complaint from a Virginia resident this September, who is similarly awaiting a refund from this game.

“My big question is like, where did the money go? You know, how many people have not been paid back,” Noel said. 

As for when fans will actually receive a refund; that remains unclear.

“We do not want to provide another completion date until we can substantiate it” says a company spokesperson.

The company, which records show first registered in the state of Kentucky in 2024, is currently “pending dissolution” and in “bad” standing according to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website. 

“Good or bad standing reflects an entity’s compliance or noncompliance with filing requirements administered by our office. It is not an assessment of the entity’s business operations or practices,” a spokesperson for the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office told WRAL. 

Officials with the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office confirmed the company has not yet filed an annual report for 2026. That standing can be remedied if a report is filed before a October 8 deadline, after which, it’s subject to administrative dissolution. The company must pay a $100 reinstatement penalty if it fails to file before that deadline. 

Athlete Advantage has not specified how many customers are currently missing refunds as a result of the canceled game in Brazil. Only that it has “resolved” filings in Delaware and Kentucky, while continuing to operate and “address its obligations to purchasers.”

A company spokesperson said that the immediate priority was completing refunds to ticket purchasers. 

“We remain in regular communication with NC State regarding matters arising from the suspension of the game,” a company spokesperson said.