World Cup ticket fiasco leaves some fans missing matches in Philadelphia

And now at 11, the big story on Action News is fan frustration over World Cup tickets. Imagine paying thousands of dollars to go to a match here in Philadelphia, only to show up and the tickets aren't available. Well, these issues are creating turmoil for fans around the country and right here. And Action's reporter Brianna Smith is in South Philadelphia tonight to explain the problem. Well, StubHub blames the FIFA app. The family we spoke to was heartbroken when they never received their tickets and watched other fans go into the stadium. But I have some good news to report after speaking to StubHub. They say the family will receive a refund and replacement ticket for a game on Friday. It's once in a lifetime. Nine-year-old Levi from Bristol Township says it was a dream come true when he found out he was going to the France versus Iraq World Cup match in Philadelphia. It was really big for me because it was my first time seeing, like, my favorite player play. Levi's mother Stephanie Fred says they bought five tickets for more than $5,000 on StubHub but did not receive them. On game day, Fred spent hours on the phone with customer service while Levi waited outside the stadium with his family. Unfortunately, they never made it to their seat. I was very sad. We come from North Philly, you know, so these opportunities aren't, you know, given to us a lot. So for us to work so hard to give our kids a life that we didn't have. Georgette Luna and fans nationwide had a similar experience. Luna surprised her father with tickets for the Brazil versus Haiti game and paid about $3,000. It just felt like a massive disappointment. That train ride home was one of the hardest train rides home. StubHub says when fans purchase tickets from its platform, the seller must transfer them through the FIFA app. StubHub said in a statement, quote, The issues fans have experienced at this World Cup are largely driven by performance problems with the event organizer's own ticketing infrastructure, which has created transfer failures across all resale platforms. When asked about the issues, FIFA says it can guarantee the delivery of tickets through its official site. As for Levi and Luna, StubHub says they'll receive a refund and tickets to another match. I mean, super emotional morning. Luna says this time the tickets were delivered quickly. She's calling for policy changes. I'm giving you the faith that you're going to provide me a service that needs to be provided. We also spoke to another fan who flew in from Florida and never received his tickets from SeatGeek. We reached out to SeatGeek, who says they'll refund him and give him a $520 credit. In South Philadelphia, Brianna Smith, Channel 6 Action News.