The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, currently underway in Morocco and running until January 21, is being played against a backdrop of growing concern over ticket access and stadium attendance.
Spanish newspaper Marca reports a visible contrast between officially sold-out matches and the number of empty seats inside stadiums, pointing to what it describes as digital and economic barriers preventing many fans from supporting their national teams.
The issue was highlighted on Friday, December 26, 2025, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat during Morocco’s 1-1 draw with Mali in Group A.
Despite all tickets being declared sold out, large sections of the 70,000-capacity stadium appeared unoccupied.
Marca noted that Morocco and Algeria are the only teams whose group stage matches have officially sold out, yet the difference between reported attendance figures and the scenes in the stands has raised questions. The official attendance for the Morocco vs Mali match was listed as 63,844.
Several Moroccan supporters told the newspaper they were unable to secure tickets through official channels.
One fan, Amine Mazraoui, said he attempted to access the ticketing website early but was locked out due to heavy traffic, leaving him stranded outside the stadium.
Another supporter, Hisham, said tickets were gone by the time he tried to purchase.
The report also blamed ticket touts for worsening the situation, alleging that brokers buy large volumes of tickets and resell them at inflated prices, sometimes up to ten times the original cost.
Similar scenes were reported in Tangier, where Senegal’s match against Botswana was played in a sparsely filled stadium despite official attendance figures.
According to Marca, CAF has yet to respond publicly to the complaints, as many fans continue to watch matches from outside the venues.
