StubHub seller lists 2,000 U2 seats despite purchase caps

A StubHub seller identified as Vladyslav Skrypka listed more than 2,000 tickets for U2’s June 2027 London concerts, NME reported on Nov. 15, citing a Guardian investigation.

The listings matter because some seats were advertised at more than four times face value, while a full sale at posted prices would exceed £1 million, according to the report.

U2’s four Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dates in June 2027 sold out shortly after tickets went on sale last week. The shows are part of the Irish band’s “The Greatest Show On Earth” world tour.

The Guardian investigation said one seller had placed more than 1,800 tickets on StubHub for a single night, despite limits on how many tickets an individual buyer can purchase.

Adam Webb of the FanFair Alliance, a music industry campaign group, said the case could involve automated buying software or speculative selling, where sellers advertise tickets they do not yet hold. Webb asked of StubHub: “Have they seen evidence of Vladyslav’s receipts?”

There is no confirmation that bots or speculative selling were used to obtain the U2 tickets. The use of automated software to get around ticket-buying restrictions has been illegal in the UK since 2018.

StubHub International said it does not allow speculative selling and requires sellers to confirm they own, or have the right to sell, tickets listed on its platform. “We are firmly against the use of bots,” the company said, adding that enforcement should be stronger at the original point of sale.

Ticketmaster disputed any suggestion that primary ticketing companies are responsible for the issue. It said it blocks 20 billion bots every month and argued that secondary marketplaces create the incentive for automated bulk buying.

The dispute comes as the UK government faces pressure over its proposed ban on reselling tickets for profit. In November 2025, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed plans to prohibit resale above face value, telling NME: “We promised when we were elected that it would be time up for ticket touts. It’s a good day.”

Nandy also said the proposed law would give the Competition and Markets Authority power to fine resale platforms up to 10% of annual turnover for breaches. The plan has not yet become law, and the government included only a draft Ticket Tout Ban Bill in the King’s Speech in May.

Other major artists have reported ticketing pressure in recent weeks. RAYE said in October that scalpers using AI bots overwhelmed registration for her Royal Albert Hall show after 1.8 million sign-ups for 5,000 seats, while Sam Fender delayed a Newcastle stadium pre-sale after what he described as a “sophisticated bot attack” on Gigantic.

U2’s 2027 stadium tour will include Wolf Alice as support across the UK and Europe, following the release of U2’s album “Carnaval De Luz” on Nov. 13.