On September 5th, the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifying Round of 18 matches in Group C kicked off, with the Chinese men’s football team facing a resounding 0-7 defeat against the Japanese team. This match, exclusively broadcast by iQIYI Sports, experienced a live stream crash due to an overwhelming number of viewers.
According to a screenshot of a WeChat payment message shared by a user, refunds for the iQIYI Sports membership purchased for the match have already been credited to the account. The match was designated as a paid event on the iQIYI Sports app, with non-members required to pay 9 yuan for an iQIYI Sports membership or 18 yuan for a single match ticket.
As the match commenced, the hashtag Can’t Watch the Match for the Money quickly climbed to the top of the Weibo trending list. Some netizens complained that the payment page on the iQIYI Sports app froze, preventing them from watching the match. Others mentioned that they had used their redemption codes, only to be informed that the code had already been used, leaving them unable to watch and seeking refunds.
Following the match, iQIYI Sports issued an apology statement, acknowledging that the live stream of the match between the Chinese and Japanese teams on September 5th experienced technical difficulties due to an overwhelming number of viewers.
Due to the intense passion of Chinese football fans, the live stream encountered an instantaneous surge in traffic, resulting in some users being unable to purchase tickets or experiencing delayed account crediting after purchasing, the statement said. We deeply apologize for the impact this has had on the viewing experience of our users.
In response to the affected users, iQIYI Sports offered the following solutions:
- For sports members who had redeemed the viewing coupons multiple times, the duplicate coupons have been returned to their accounts.
- For users who had purchased and paid for the match multiple times, the duplicate amounts will be refunded.
- For users whose rights were impaired during the match, a viewing coupon will be compensated to their accounts.
iQIYI Sports stated that they would strengthen technical preparations and operational capabilities to provide a more stable and reliable live streaming service in the future.
The incident highlights the challenges faced by online streaming platforms during high-demand events and underscores the importance of robust technical infrastructure to support such activities.
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