Presale Problems for Mexico vs Portugal: Fanki Crashes and Sparks Massive Frustration

An announcement that promised a celebration… and turned into a nightmare

A few weeks ago, the Mexican National Team delivered what felt like an early Christmas gift: Mexico would face Portugal on March 28 at Estadio Banorte, offering fans a rare chance to see Cristiano Ronaldo play in Mexico. The announcement created immediate excitement, and thousands prepared to secure tickets priced between 500 and 9,000 pesos.

The exclusive presale for Banorte cardholders was scheduled for December 10–12, hosted through the ticketing platform Fanki, a Colombian startup founded in 2021 under the name Bitsports before expanding into the Mexican market.

However, what was supposed to be an exciting moment for fans quickly turned into a frustrating digital disaster.

Chaos begins: broken virtual queues and a collapsed platform

On December 10, early in the morning, thousands of fans logged in with their cards ready, hoping to secure seats. But problems began immediately.

The virtual queues showed severe irregularities, including:

• Unstable and unrealistic wait times

• Shockingly large user counts

• Queue timers resetting without explanation
  

Minutes after the presale officially began, the platform completely crashed. The website stopped functioning with no clear message, no status updates, and zero communication from Fanki to the users waiting online.

Banorte steps in; Fanki stays silent

Banorte eventually issued a statement on social media, saying irregularities had been detected and the presale would be moved to 9:30 a.m., instead of the originally announced 9:00 a.m.

When the new time arrived… the exact same issues occurred: broken queues, website failures, and no tickets available.

PROFECO steps in

As complaints surged and Fanki remained silent, Mexico’s consumer protection agency, PROFECO, issued a public statement demanding transparency:

“We urge the ticketing platform @Fankisports to provide accurate and timely information to fans attempting to purchase tickets for the Mexico vs Portugal match, as consumers have the right to clear, truthful, and updated information.”

PROFECO also urged Fanki to establish communication with the institution to ensure consumer rights were protected.

Presale postponed

More than an hour after the chaos unfolded, Fanki and Banorte finally announced that the presale would be postponed to December 11 at 9:00 a.m., without offering any technical details or a full explanation of the failures.

Conclusion: new ticketing platforms still struggle with high demand

What happened with Fanki highlights a recurring problem: emerging ticketing platforms often lack the infrastructure to support massive demand. The consequence is always the same:

• Frustrated users

• Wasted hours

• Uncertainty

• Lack of transparency
  

Although presale will resume the next day, the damage is already done. Consumer experience must be a priority, especially for events of this magnitude, and companies have a responsibility to anticipate demand and deliver stable, reliable service.

Hopefully, Fanki and other new ticketing providers learn from this episode and implement real improvements, ensuring fans never have to endure a situation like this again.