For thousands of football fans, attending a FIFA World Cup match is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But for some supporters in Atlanta, that dream turned into frustration after tickets purchased online failed to grant them entry to the stadium.
More than a dozen fans were left outside as the match between Spain and Cape Verde got underway, despite having paid hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars for tickets bought through online resale platforms including StubHub and SeatGeek.
Among them was Surenere Paudel, who spent more than 1,400 dollars on tickets for his wife and two daughters.
"Yeah, I got that ticket almost six months ago. I go on the website and work on FIFA when they release and they direct me on the StubHub website and I got a ticket and then they sent me a seat number and everything and then after I tried to reach out for a barcode and I could not get it."
Fans say they received seat assignments and match details but never obtained the barcode needed to enter the stadium.
