According to Media 2 reports, due to low attendance, tournament organizers were forced to distribute free tickets to passers-by to fill empty seats, especially on the side facing the cameras, after the Africa Cup of Nations match between DR Congo and Benin kicked off.
Attendance at host nation venues is a key issue for major tournaments. Since the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Morocco, this topic has sparked widespread discussion, and it has become quite controversial with the distribution of free tickets to fill sparse stands. The match between DR Congo and Benin at Rabat’s Al Berrid Stadium on Tuesday is a case in point.
Only a portion of spectators were present at the start of the game, leaving many seats vacant. But by half-time, at least more than half of the stadium’s seats were filled. Reporters observed that many physical tickets were distributed to passers-by near the stadium ten minutes after the game started.
A spectator wearing a Morocco jersey revealed: “I waited for a while, and someone gave me a category two ticket.” Many young people also benefited from this initiative. Through this seat-filling exercise, the stadium became much livelier, with empty seats significantly reduced, especially on the side facing the cameras.
At the end of the game, the stadium announcer first declared that there were 6,000 spectators at the match, which surprised many reporters in the press box. A few minutes later, the stadium announcer spoke again, this time correcting the number of on-site spectators to 13,000.
This practice is reminiscent of the match between Egypt and Zimbabwe (which ended 2-1) held at Agadir’s Adrar Stadium on Tuesday evening. At that time, the stadium was very empty during the national anthem, but by the end of the game, it showed that more than 30,000 spectators had entered, as the stadium was allowed free entry. This choice may be controversial, especially for those who have already purchased tickets.
In the match between DR Congo and Benin, the former won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Bognanda.
