Open Tickets dismisses claims KwaZulu-Natal fans were denied fair access to MTN8 final tickets

Open Tickets chief executive Marnus van Niekerk has rejected claims that KwaZulu-Natal residents were deliberately restricted from buying tickets for the MTN8 final, saying the sales data showed they made up almost 60% of all purchasers.

The Wafa Wafa final sold out on Friday last week, the day tickets went on sale, after demand quickly exceeded expectations and left many supporters unable to secure admission.

Tickets were sold exclusively online, but the volume of people attempting to buy them caused the platform to crash. Although the system was later restored, some fans had already spent hours waiting and ultimately failed to complete their purchases.

The disruption drew comparisons with the 2025 Nedbank Cup final between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, which was also held in Durban and led to similar frustration among supporters unable to obtain tickets.

It also prompted claims from some people in KwaZulu-Natal that access was being intentionally controlled. One allegation was that the eThekwini Municipality wanted to encourage more visitors from outside the province to attend the match and spend money in the city.

Van Niekerk said there was no way to determine or manipulate where individual supporters bought tickets, and insisted that every customer had been given the same opportunity to join the online queue.

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

“There’s not from the sponsor or from the league or from Open Tickets, any effort to in any way control who buys tickets, who don’t buy tickets. There was a queuing system that was fair to everyone. Everyone had exactly the same opportunity.”

According to the figures supplied by Open Tickets, nearly 60% of the tickets sold went to buyers in KwaZulu-Natal. Gauteng had the second-highest number of purchases.

Van Niekerk said the statistics directly contradicted suggestions that supporters based in the host province had been denied access.

“And we have the statistics to back that up. Nearly 60% of the tickets that were sold were sold to people in KZN. Obviously, Gauteng is second on the list.

“But there is no truth to any rumour that people from KZN were not given a fair opportunity to buy tickets.”