LONDON (AP) — Ticketmaster has apologized and offered partial refund credits to NFL fans who had trouble entering Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Vikings-Browns game.
Minnesota rallied for a 21-17 victory over Cleveland on Sunday, after some fans waited in long lines to enter the stadium before kickoff.
Ticketmaster posted a credit worth 50% of the face value of the ticket to the account holders for what it described as “a ticketing issue.” It was unclear how many fans were affected.
Fans complained that they had trouble accessing their tickets on NFL OnePass app, which is “powered by Ticketmaster,” according to the league's mobile ticketing guide.
“The experience fell short of our standards and the service we aim to deliver on behalf of the NFL,” Ticketmaster told fans in an email, a copy of which was released by the NFL.
A second email said the credit can either be applied toward tickets for this Sunday’s game at Tottenham between the Denver Broncos face the New York Jets, or “it will be converted into a Ticketmaster gift card ... You’ll be able to use this gift card across our site for future events.”
Neither Ticketmaster nor the NFL commented on the number of fans affected. Attendance on Sunday was just below capacity at 61,082 and the crowd at kickoff appeared on par with prior games.
“The operation to safely admit ticket holders was fully coordinated with NFL and Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium operations team,” the NFL and Ticketmaster said in identical statements. "Ticketmaster, the NFL and Tottenham Hotspur were able to verify ticket holders using a secondary form of verification.
“The situation was addressed as efficiently as possible and all fans entered the stadium safely.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers runs onto the field for the warm-up ahead of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Vikings supporters wait for the start of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
A general view of the field with the British and United States flags before an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ant Upton)
NEW YORK (AP) — Police scuttled an NBA Finals watch party near Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks warned fans to get to Monday’s matchup at least two hours early as part of enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump attending the game.
Trump is a longtime Knicks fan who confirmed Friday that he would attend the first NBA Finals game in New York since 1999. He already has attended a number of major sporting events in his second term, including the 2025 Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and Ryder Cup.
Part of the fallout from Trump’s visit was the cancellation of a Game 3 watch party outside MSG. The New York Police Department said in a statement Sunday the decision was made in coordination with the Secret Service.
“There will be no watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 3 only,” the statement said. “This was done fully in coordination with the Secret Service because of the presidential visit. We expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”
Such parties, where thousands of fans pack in to watch the game on a big screen, have been a point of contention for the city’s police department, even without the complication of a presidential visit.
More than two-dozen people were arrested as Friday’s watch party spilled into the streets surrounding the Garden after the Knicks beat the Spurs in San Antonio. One woman was accused of punching a police officer in the face, the NYPD said.
Heading into the NBA Finals, the city had moved to cancel watch parties outside the arena altogether because of rowdy behavior at unofficial gatherings but later reversed itself and granted a permit for Game 1 last Wednesday.
Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s New York field office, said he understood that with the Knicks on a historic run there would be some disappointment from fans.
“At the same time, our responsibility is to ensure the highest level of public safety,” he said. “After careful coordination and assessment, the Secret Service and the NYPD jointly determined that outdoor watch parties could not be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Garden due to the security requirements associated with an event of this scale and the need to maintain a secure environment for protective operations.”
Team-sanctioned watch parties will go on at Wollman Rink in Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl, the Knicks website said. Both events required advanced registration and were already at capacity as of Sunday afternoon.
Strict rules were put in place for those attending the game. The Knicks warned fans to bring as little as possible to Game 3 and encouraging them to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures.
The Knicks said Saturday that a strict no-bag policy would be in place and there would be “TSA-style screening procedures” for fans when they enter Madison Square Garden for the game that is scheduled to begin just after 8:40 p.m. EDT.
The Knicks said there would be no storage at MSG for prohibited items brought to the arena. A list of them is available at https://www.secretservice.gov/prohibiteditems.
Associated Press writers Michael Sisak and Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this report.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
FILE - Actor Elliott Gould, left, joins Donald Trump, center, and Marla Maples at courtside during an NBA basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, in New York, March 6, 1991. (AP Photo/Steve Freeman, File)
FILE - Donald Trump, right, talks to an unidentified man from the stands at Madison Square Garden during the New York Knicks game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 11, 2006, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
