By Ayomide Otitoju
During Wednesday’s Group F clash between Cameroon and Gabon in Agadir, the match began in front of nearly empty stands, but the stadium filled significantly during the first half despite heavy rain. Official attendance was later reported as 35,200 in a venue that holds over 45,000 spectators.
Similar situations have occurred in other games, causing confusion over attendance figures. Tuesday’s Group D match between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Benin at Rabat’s Al Medina Stadium initially reported 6,703 fans, later corrected to 13,073 as more supporters entered.
The CAF source said organisers, in coordination with African football authorities, open stands about 20 minutes into games to allow fans waiting outside to enter free of charge.
Ensuring full stadiums is a key goal for AFCON hosts Morocco, as the country prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. CAF’s official ticketing platform still showed availability for most remaining group matches, with prices starting at 100 dirhams ($10.96).
The only matches listed as sold out were Morocco’s games against Mali on Friday and Zambia on Monday, and Algeria’s matches against Burkina Faso on Sunday and Equatorial Guinea next Wednesday.
