I spent $6,000 on a trip to the World Cup but I was left at the door.’

But experts say the platforms can’t hide behind software glitches.

“I blame StubHub 100%,” said Scott Friedman, co-founder of TicketTalk Network, which has amassed more than 600. Consumer complaints from this competition only.

“FIFA is not an angel. Their ticketing technology is terrible. It’s like software from 1999,” he added.

While StubHub strictly prohibits speculative tickets on its platform, industry watchdogs and disgruntled users believe the practice still persists.

Some sellers also feel stressed. A seller in Austin told the BBC he lost $2,600 after listing a legitimately purchased FIFA Marketplace ticket on StubHub. Although he sold it for $1,200 and sent it to an auto-generated e-mail address on the platform, StubHub canceled the sale as “non-fulfilling” – denying payment and charging a $1,400 penalty fee.

For the average consumer, fighting a large corporation can seem like an impossible uphill battle.

Bradford Clements, a lawyer who currently represents clients in more than $2.4 million in claims, most of which are unrelated to the World Cup, notes that the company’s complex dispute process often forces fans seeking redress to abandon it altogether.

“People don’t understand that StubHub’s name of their game is to intimidate, delay and deny you,” Clements told the BBC, referring to legal disputes that were returned to the company despite being mailed.

StubHub declined to comment on Clements’ lawsuit.

It is not clear how many people have had problems with tickets purchased on StubHub or other ticketing sites. Hundreds of fans have been complaining online, while one report suggests thousands have had their tickets cancelled.

A StubHub spokesperson said it is increasing its ability to bring replacement tickets to affected customers and that every order is backed by the FanProtect Guarantee, which means customers will get a refund if they don’t get the tickets they ordered or an equivalent or better replacement.

However, the fine print means little to thousands of fans with no return trips.

As the World Cup moves into its high-profile rounds, industry watchdogs warn that the cancellation crisis could worsen, leaving more families outside the stadium gates for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Additional reporting by Osmond Chia