AFCON organisers open gates for free amid empty seats

Organisers of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco have begun allowing fans to enter stadiums for free after kickoff when venues are not filled, a Confederation of African Football (CAF) source has told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The policy was evident on Wednesday in Agadir, where the Group F clash between Cameroon and Gabon kicked off in front of sparsely populated stands. Despite persistent rain, the crowd grew noticeably during the first half.

Officials later announced an attendance of 35,200 at the stadium, which has a capacity of more than 45,000.

Similar scenes have been witnessed across the opening days of the tournament, at times leading to confusion over official attendance figures.

At Tuesday’s Group D match between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Benin at Rabat’s Al Medina Stadium, the crowd swelled significantly as the game progressed. Attendance was initially announced as 6,703 before later being revised to 13,073.

According to the CAF source, organisers, in coordination with African football’s governing body, are opening sections of stadiums around 20 minutes into matches to allow fans waiting outside to enter without charge.

Ensuring full stadiums is a key concern for Cup of Nations organisers in Morocco, where a successful tournament is viewed as an important step toward the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the North African nation will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

CAF’s official ticketing platform on Thursday showed seats available for nearly all remaining group-stage matches, with prices starting from 100 dirhams (about $10.96).

The only fixtures listed as sold out were host nation Morocco’s matches against Mali on Friday and Zambia on Monday, as well as Algeria’s games against Burkina Faso on Sunday and Equatorial Guinea next Wednesday.