Months after college football's first planned game in South America fell apart, the Kentucky company behind it still can't tell NC State fans when they'll see their money back. Athlete Advantage, the promoter that was supposed to stage the August 29 season opener between NC State and Virginia at Rio de Janeiro's Nilton Santos Stadium, says refund requirements have simply taken longer than expected.
A Historic Game That Never Happened
The matchup was marketed as the first FBS game ever played in South America, and it was supposed to kick off the 2026 season in style. Instead, as reported by WRAL, the game was called off and relocated to Charlottesville, where Virginia beat NC State 34-8. The cancellation came after the Atlantic Coast Conference and the two schools announced on June 3, 2026, that Athlete Advantage had conceded the event could not be conducted in Rio, according to Virginia Athletics.
When the relocated game was finally played, Virginia's win came in front of a sold-out Scott Stadium crowd of 62,779, the program's first sellout since 2008, per the same account from Virginia Athletics. For NC State, though, the on-field result was the least of its financial headaches. Under a November 2025 participation agreement, NC State was promised a $2 million participation payout, up to $500,000 in fan travel package revenue, and 20 percent of net event sponsorships, according to a 247Sports report.
NC State Still Waiting on $1.5 Million
WRAL reports that Athlete Advantage still owes NC State a $1.5 million cancellation fee, and a football program spokesperson said as of late September the company had not delivered that payment to the university. Athlete Advantage, for its part, told WRAL it cannot yet confirm a refund date because requirements took longer than anticipated, and it remains in regular communication with NC State about matters arising from the game's suspension.
The company previously attributed the delays to difficulty recovering deposits paid to international partners. The College Football Brasil website had initially estimated the refund process would take roughly six to eight weeks, a window that has long since passed, per WRAL's reporting.
Fans Out Thousands With No Timeline
Individual fans describe far more personal stakes. Staton Noel purchased a travel package for $4,945, WRAL reports, and has filed a complaint with the North Carolina Attorney General's Office. Noel has asked where the money went and how many people still have not been paid back.
Travel packages sold through the official College Football Brasil website ran as high as $4,945 per person for platinum VIP accommodations that included five nights of lodging, ground transport, and local security in Rio de Janeiro, according to a report from Front Office Sports. Charlie Dobbins is awaiting roughly $8,000 for travel packages and airfare to Brazil, per WRAL, and said Athlete Advantage should pay customers back. The North Carolina Department of Justice has received two consumer complaints about the matter, and WRAL says it received a similar complaint from a Virginia resident in September.
Virginia Never Had a Signed Contract
While NC State had a signed contract with Athlete Advantage dating to November 2025, public records requests to the University of Virginia revealed the school never had an executed contract on file for the Brazil game at all, according to the Augusta Free Press. That gap is notable given what Virginia gave up: a home game that typically generates $1.5 million to $2 million in ticket revenue, the outlet reported.
A Company Built for NIL, Pushed Into Live Events
Athlete Advantage was originally established in Lexington, Kentucky, as a Name, Image, and Likeness agency before appointing former ESPN and UFC executive Crowley Sullivan as CEO in December 2024 to expand into live event promotion, according to an announcement carried by EIN Presswire. The Rio game itself was promoted as a joint venture between Athlete Advantage, Brazilian firm Brasil Sports Business, and local political leaders including Rio de Janeiro Governor Cláudio Castro and Mayor Eduardo Paes, according to NC State University Athletics.
WRAL's reporting also found that an affiliated entity, Athlete Advantage Scouting Services LLC, is listed in Kentucky at the same address as Athlete Advantage's website and is now listed as inactive by the Kentucky Secretary of State. A company spokesperson told WRAL that Athlete Advantage allowed that LLC to close and become inactive, while Athlete Advantage LLC itself is a Delaware entity in good standing in both Delaware and Kentucky. The spokesperson said the company resolved filings in both states while continuing to operate and address obligations to purchasers, and said completing refunds to ticket purchasers remains the immediate priority.
It remains unclear exactly how many fans are still awaiting refunds, per WRAL. North Carolina law, G.S. 14-344.1, requires event ticket resellers and issuers to guarantee full refunds to consumers when a ticketed event is canceled, a statute that establishes clear consumer rights for state residents whose money is still tied up months after the game that never was.
