South Africa became the latest Africa Cup of Nations host to "face the challenge of filling stadiums with the continent's generally poor football fans" as tickets for next year's tournament went on sale this week, according to the SOWETAN. In an attempt to "reverse a trend of poor crowds" at recent African championships, organizers for next year's event opted to keep tickets "relatively cheap and easily available." They had already chosen smaller stadiums to host the games in order to give them a "better chance of sell-outs." Tickets for the Africa Cup of Nations range from R50 ($6) up to R200 ($24) for the most expensive seats at the final. Local Organizing Committee CEO Mvuzo Mbebe said, "The ticket pricing strategy was reached looking at the economy of the country and the levels of unemployment, people's disposable income as well as the time that the tournament is taking place." There are also worries that the Jan. 19-Feb. 10 tournament could "come too soon after the expensive holiday season." But South Africa is still looking to sell 500,000 tickets for the 32 matches at the 16-team tournament, "relying on the combination of affordable prices and easy access while, crucially, hoping to revive the excitement generated by the country's staging of the World Cup two years ago" (SOWETAN, 9/28).
