Organisers of the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco have begun allowing fans to enter stadiums for free after kick-off in matches where attendance is visibly low, in a move aimed at filling empty stands and improving the tournament’s atmosphere.
A Confederation of African Football (CAF) source confirmed to Agence France-Presse that, in agreement with African football’s governing body, organisers have been opening sections of stadiums around 20 minutes into matches to admit supporters gathered outside without charge when venues are not close to capacity.
The policy was evident during Wednesday’s Group F clash between Cameroon and Gabon in Agadir, which kicked off in front of largely empty stands amid persistent rain. However, the stadium filled up significantly during the first half, with the official attendance later announced as 35,200 in a venue that can accommodate more than 45,000 spectators.
Similar scenes have played out at several matches in the opening days of the tournament, raising questions and confusion over official attendance figures. At Tuesday’s Group D encounter between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Benin at Rabat’s Al Medina Stadium, the crowd was initially reported as 6,703 before being revised upward to 13,073 after the match.
Filling stadiums has emerged as a key concern for organisers, particularly as Morocco seeks to deliver a successful AFCON as part of its broader ambition to showcase its readiness ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal. A vibrant, well-attended tournament is seen as critical to reinforcing the country’s credentials as a major global football host.
Despite the free-entry measure, ticket availability remains widespread. CAF’s official ticketing platform showed seats still available for most remaining group-stage matches, with prices starting at 100 dirhams (about R183). Only a handful of fixtures were listed as sold out, including host nation Morocco’s games against Mali and Zambia, as well as Algeria’s clashes with Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.
While the decision to allow free entry after kick-off has helped improve in-stadium atmospheres, it has also sparked debate among fans and observers about ticket pricing, scheduling, weather conditions and travel logistics, all of which may be contributing factors to the initial low turnouts.
Tournament officials have not indicated whether the policy will continue throughout AFCON 2025, but sources suggest it will remain an option for matches where attendance risks undermining the spectacle of Africa’s flagship football competition.
