KZN fans bought nearly 60% of MTN8 final tickets, says Open Tickets CEO

Open Tickets chief executive Marnus van Niekerk has rejected claims that supporters in KwaZulu-Natal were denied a fair chance to buy tickets for the MTN8 final.

Speaking at a Premier Soccer League media briefing at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday, Van Niekerk said the ticketing process had not been manipulated to favour buyers from outside the province.

He said the digital queue system gave all supporters the same opportunity to purchase tickets, with data showing that almost 60% of the 49,000 tickets available were bought by people based in KwaZulu-Natal.

Gauteng had the second-highest number of purchases.

Van Niekerk said neither the PSL, the sponsor nor OpenTickets had any influence over the location of supporters who bought tickets. He added that demand was substantial, with 20,000 requests being processed simultaneously within the first 10 minutes of sales opening.

“There is a narrative that people from KZN didn’t get a fair opportunity to buy tickets; we can absolutely say that is not true,” he said.

“It is not from the sponsor, the league, or OpenTickets, or any effort to control who buys tickets and who doesn’t buy tickets.

“There was a queuing system that was fair to everyone; everyone had the same opportunity, and we had the statistics to back it up.

“Nearly 60% of tickets were sold to people in KZN. Obviously, Gauteng is second on the list, but there is no truth in any rumour that people from KZN were not given a fair opportunity to buy tickets.”

Pirates seek fifth straight MTN8 title

The sold-out final between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will be played at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday, 10 October 2026.

Orlando Pirates have won the competition in each of the past four editions, lifting the trophy in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

They are now attempting to secure a fifth consecutive MTN8 tournament title overall against Mamelodi Sundowns, who are described as the country’s league kings.

The match will begin at 18h00, with the stadium gates scheduled to open at 14h00.

Entry for the showpiece will be strictly digital-only, with all tickets requiring electronic access.