Morocco's magical solution to fill the seats for Africa Cup soccer
Opening the gates for free at games' 20th minute is the first minute allowed by the African soccer federation – and it's a solution when unmoneyed fans can't simply hop in their cars or take a train to another country

Benin takes on Botswana at the Africa Cup last week in Rabat, Morocco. Credit: Paul Ellis/AFP
Opening the gates for free at games' 20th minute is the first minute allowed by the African soccer federation – and it's a solution when unmoneyed fans can't simply hop in their cars or take a train to another country

05:35 PM • January 01 2026 IST
"I don't feel the same vibe that I felt in Ivory Coast, or that I felt in Gabon," South Africa's manager, Hugo Broos, said about soccer's Africa Cup, whose current incarnation is underway in Morocco.










