On Sunday night in Rabat, the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium will turn into the beating heart of African football as Morocco faces Senegal, the 2021 champions, in a high‑stakes Africa Cup of Nations final that feels like a tactical war and a battle for continental pride.
For many fans, however, the real struggle is not on the pitch but at the turnstiles.
With the host country swept up in a wave of enthusiasm, an entire nation seems determined to be in the stands, pushing demand for tickets far beyond official capacity.
The French newspaper Le Parisien reports that, with official allocations sold out since the third resale phase on November 15, the black market has become the main gateway to the final.
On resale platforms, the cheapest ticket for Morocco vs Senegal has climbed to about 3,000 dirhams (around 300 euros), a figure that nearly matches Morocco’s private‑sector minimum wage of 3,400 dirhams (about 340 euros). That means some supporters are paying roughly a month’s salary for a single moment of cheering, compared with the official minimum ticket price of 400 dirhams (around 40 euros).
Authorities have tightened security around the stadium, warning against illegal resale, yet tickets continue to circulate at many times their face value.
The situation has exposed deeper organizational flaws in how tickets are distributed and monitored at major tournaments, as demand for the final has turned legitimate tickets into rare and highly profitable commodities.
The uproar is not limited to Moroccan fans. Senegalese supporters who traveled to Rabat to back the Lions of Teranga complain of poor organization and the inability to obtain tickets through official channels, urging authorities to ease access for visiting fans.
The Senegalese Football Federation has also voiced concern, revealing that its official allocation amounted to just two VVIP tickets, plus 300 first‑category, 850 second‑category, and 1,700 third‑category seats, numbers it considers far too small given the scale of Senegalese demand.
