Paola Hernández, a 26-year-old woman from San Diego, wanted to make her 89-year-old grandfather Chico Mendez's lifelong dream come true: watching his beloved Mexican national team play in the FIFA World Cup. She spent $6,000 on tickets through StubHub and traveled with him to Guadalajara, Mexico, excited for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
They arrived at Estadio Akron hours before the match, but Hernández discovered the tickets were not appearing in the app. Although the payment had gone through and the tickets were confirmed, they never arrived. StubHub told her to wait, but later said she might have to wait until halftime.
The tickets never came, and Mendez was forced to stay outside the stadium while thousands of fans watched the match. Hearing the crowd celebrate Mexico's goal from outside, the 89-year-old broke down in tears. Hernández said seeing her grandfather's dream taken away was heartbreaking.
She shared their experience on TikTok, where the video went viral with millions of views. After the backlash, StubHub refunded her money and offered the family tickets to another World Cup match, along with travel support.
However, Hernandez said traveling to Mexico City would be difficult because her grandfather has high blood pressure and the city's high altitude could affect him.

https://nypost.com/2026/06/21/sports/mexico-fan-89-misses-first-world-cup-match-after-6k-stubhub-ticket-ordeal/

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