Key facts
- Vladyslav Skrypka advertised more than 1,800 tickets for one night alone, some at more than four times face value, the Guardian reported.
- A StubHub snapshot showed 7,819 U2 tickets listed for resale, of which 562 came from private sellers.
- StubHub said it does not allow speculative selling and that sellers must confirm they own or have the right to the tickets.
- Ticketmaster said it blocks 20 billion bots a month and blamed resale sites for creating the incentive to use them.
- FanFair Alliance's Adam Webb said the volume of listings indicated bot use or speculative selling, both illegal since 2018.
A single seller advertised more than 2,000 tickets for U2's 2027 London concerts on StubHub, with one night alone accounting for more than 1,800 listings, the Guardian reported on November 14, 2026. The seller, Vladyslav Skrypka, claims to be based in Harlow, Essex, and some of the tickets were listed at more than four times face value. If all sold at the listed sums, Skrypka would stand to make more than £1 million.
Seats for the four-night London leg of the band's The Greatest Show on Earth tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sold out shortly after going on sale. A snapshot of StubHub listings taken in the week of November 9 showed 7,819 U2 tickets advertised for resale, of which more than 2,000 were held by Skrypka and only 562 came from private sellers such as fans who can no longer attend.
StubHub International, owned by the US investment group Digital Fuel Capital, did not address the Guardian's specific questions about the listings or possible bot use. The company said it does not allow speculative selling and that sellers must confirm they own, or have a right to, the tickets they list. A spokesperson said the company is firmly against bots, which are used at the point of primary sale before tickets reach any resale marketplace.
In a BBC interview, StubHub International chief executive Bob Kupbens said the company does not support bots and called for better policing by government and primary sellers. Ticketmaster disputed that primary agents were responsible, saying it blocks 20 billion bots a month and that resale sites such as Viagogo and StubHub create the incentive for bot use.
Adam Webb of the FanFair Alliance said the volume of U2 tickets on StubHub indicated either bot use or speculative selling, in which a tout agrees a sale before obtaining tickets. Both practices have been illegal since 2018. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it is committed to stamping out ticket touting and will bring forward legislation in this parliament. A ban on resale for profit was outlined by culture secretary Lisa Nandy a year ago, and a bill is due to be published in the current parliamentary session, which might not end until well into 2027. The Guardian said it had approached U2 for comment and that messages to social media pages believed to belong to Skrypka went unanswered.