Ghana’s opening match at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations against DR Congo on Sunday in Port Elizabeth has been sold out.
The Stars will slug it out with the Leopards at the 46,000-capacity Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and the Local Organising Committee insists tickets have been sold.
This development serves a giant leap off the perennial low attendance which has characterized the biennial championship, especially at venues without the host team.
“As at last Monday, we had sold about 20,000 of the tickets. Today (Friday), I can confirm that the Group B opening matches have been sold out.
“We are expecting a packed stadium and the issue of low figures at the stadium will be a thing of the past, at least not at Port Elizabeth,” Thabo Kelembe, an official of the LOC told GNA Sports.
The state-of-the-art Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium can accommodate over 48,000 fans, but the organizers of the tournament have been restricted to 2000 fans less.
All the Stars group phase matches will take place at the stadium built at a cost of 159 Million Dollars for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
After DR Congo, the Stars will next play Mali on January 24 before wrapping up against Niger four days later.