The sale of tickets for the upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2017) in Gabon started on Thursday according to the Organizing Committee (COCAN).

The tickets for the continent’s biggest football showpiece will cost between 500 and 40,000 FCFA (between $0.80 and $63), the COCAN earlier confirmed.

The tournament to be held between January-February next year kicks off on Saturday January 14 with an opening ceremony in the capital, Libreville. Rates for the ceremony ranges between 2,000 to 20,000 FCFA, about $3 and $30 respectively.

After the opening ceremony, hosts Gabon will face Guinea-Bissau, after which Cameroon will face Burkina Faso at the 40,000 seater Stade D’Amitie (Friendship Stadium). The venue will also host the final on Sunday 5 February.

The organizers disclosed that a total of some 500,000 tickets are on sale in the four host cities of Libreville, Franceville, Port-Gentil and Oyem.

There are however some issues with respect to the Oyem venue which is located in the north of the country. Last weekend, Sports Minister Nicole Asselé was concerned about the delays in the completion of the new stadium with 20,000 seats.

On Wednesday, a local newspaper reported that there were also issues about the state of the road between Oyem and Bitam, 50 km further north near Cameroon. “Two teams will be lodged in Bitam and must therefore make shuttles to rally Oyem for the matches,” the newspaper added.

The Atlas Lions of Morocco and the Hawks of Togo, which will share a hotel in Bitam.

The AFCON groups

GROUP A – Gabon, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau GROUP B – Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Zimbabwe GROUP C – Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Morocco and Togo. GROUP D – Ghana, Mali, Egypt, Uganda