Morocco and Algeria lead the charge as AFCON 2025 ticket sales soar

The launch of ticket sales for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has sparked a wave of excitement across North Africa, with Morocco and Algeria already dominating early demand as fans rush to secure seats for the continent’s biggest football event.

After several delays and technical setbacks, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially opened the first phase of ticket sales on Tuesday for the tournament, which will be hosted in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

A total of 400,000 tickets were released through CAF’s dedicated online platform — and demand was immediate and overwhelming.

According to reports from Algerian media, all group-stage matches involving the host nation, Morocco, and their regional rivals Algeria sold out within hours.

The rapid sellout underlines the huge anticipation surrounding both teams, who are seen as strong contenders for the title and traditional powerhouses of African football.

Morocco will open the competition on 21 December at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat against the Comoros.

The Atlas Lions will then face Mali on 26 December before rounding off their Group A campaign against Zambia on 29 December at the same venue.

Algeria, meanwhile, will also feature in Rabat, leading Group E.

The Fennecs will begin their campaign on 24 December against Sudan, take on Burkina Faso on 28 December, and conclude the group stage on New Year’s Eve against Equatorial Guinea.

With both nations playing in the same stadium within days of each other, demand for tickets has reached unprecedented levels.

However, the opening sale was not without its complications.

CAF had to overcome previous disruptions after the initial pre-sale on 25 September ended in failure due to a significant technical breakdown.

‼️ La première tranche de billets mis en vente pour les matchs de l’Algérie à la #CAN2025 ont disparu en un éclair ! 🎟️🇩🇿

D’autres places vont bientôt être mis en ligne.

Billets pour les matchs de l’Algérie et du Maroc vendus, il reste des places pour les autres sélections. pic.twitter.com/XTkyKCnz74

— La Vague Verte ⭐️🇩🇿⭐️ (@la_vagueverte) October 15, 2025

The incident forced organizers to delay the official launch and reconfigure parts of their system.

In addition, the governing body has faced criticism over issues linked to the Yalla application — the official digital hub for the tournament — with users reporting access problems and transaction errors during early phases of registration.

CAF has confirmed that the next phase of ticket sales will open on 25 October, with the final batch set to be released a month later on 25 November, just three weeks before the tournament begins.

Despite these logistical hurdles, enthusiasm remains undimmed.

The sold-out matches for Morocco and Algeria have reaffirmed the fervent passion that North African supporters bring to the game — and have set the tone for what promises to be one of the most anticipated African Cup of Nations tournaments in years.