A South Florida family thought they were about to lose a Father’s Day gift more than a year in the making after the tickets they purchased for a FIFA World Cup match suddenly became unavailable just days before kickoff.
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Instead, after contacting NBC 6 Responds, they received replacement tickets and were able to attend a World Cup match together.
For Andrew Quijano, the tickets weren’t just for a soccer game. They were a chance to create a lasting memory with his father.
“We wanted to experience, like I said, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Quijano said. “Especially sharing it with our loved ones. You can’t put a price on that.”
In June 2025, Quijano purchased three tickets through StubHub for about $2,286 as a Father’s Day surprise for his dad, Omar. At the time of purchase, the teams had not yet been announced.
Later, they learned the tickets were for the highly anticipated Portugal vs. Colombia match at Hard Rock Stadium.
“We have a lot of Colombian friends, and we’re big Cristiano Ronaldo fans,” Quijano said. “We knew this was going to be a big thing, especially in Miami.”
About two months before the match, Quijano became concerned when the tickets still had not appeared in his account.
“We still haven’t received anything except for a confirmation email…we’re just going to hold on to the tickets until closer to the match,'” Quijano said.
Days before the game, however, he said he received notice that the tickets were no longer available.
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“And then we called again, and another person said, ‘We apologize, but let me see what I can do. Great news, we can give you your money back,'” Quijano recalled.
Quijano said StubHub also offered a $400 credit toward a future event. But he said a refund wasn’t what he wanted.
“You know, we were excited for something we bought over a year ago just to be taken away from us a couple of days before the event,” he said.
NBC Responds teams across the country have heard from other soccer fans who reported experiencing similar issues ahead of World Cup matches.
After NBC 6 Responds contacted StubHub about Quijano’s case, the company said many of the issues customers experienced were tied to event organizer technology, newly announced ticket transfer restrictions, and the rollout of a new app shortly before the tournament.
In a statement s StubHub spokesperson told us, “We understand that attending the World Cup represents a significant investment in time and money, and we take our responsibility to every fan who books through our platform seriously. Many of the issues fans are facing trace back to the event organizer’s technology infrastructure, newly-announced transfer restrictions, and a new app that was launched just a month ago ahead of such a major event. 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.”
Following NBC 6 Responds’ inquiry, Quijano said a StubHub representative contacted him and secured replacement tickets to another World Cup match in Miami.
The resolution meant he and his father were still able to enjoy the experience they had been looking forward to for more than a year.
According to the FIFA website, they state “If you purchased tickets through a third-party platform, please contact them directly. We are unable to access or manage tickets purchased outside of FIFA’s official sales channels.”
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