It’s supposed to be the festival of African football, but for Uganda Cranes fans, CHAN 2024 ticket hunting has turned into a ruthless street fight. By the time most supporters had brewed their morning tea, the Shs. 10,000 ordinary and Shs. 30,000 silver tickets for the Uganda vs Niger showdown , and the South Africa vs Guinea clash , had already vanished from the official CAF platform. Only a few Shs. 50,000 premium seats dangled in the wind, taunting fans who could no longer afford them.
By press time,friday’s blockbuster fixtures ,Guinea vs Algeria , Niger vs South Africa, had suffered the same fate, with the system slammed shut and “sold out” plastered across screens. The only game yet untouched is Uganda’s last group-stage clash against South Africa, but fans fear it’s just a matter of time before it too disappears in a flash. The streets are buzzing with claims that deep-pocketed opportunists bulk-bought tickets online, not to watch the matches, but to turn the terraces into their own gold mines.
The numbers tell a bitter story: ordinary tickets originally sold for Shs. 10,000 are now being hawked for Shs. 30,000 in the shadows, silver prices have nearly doubled, and even the premium section isn’t safe. One outlet in Mengo is brazenly offering marked-up tickets in broad daylight, and social media is awash with angry fans calling the situation “daylight robbery.” What was meant to unite the nation in celebration now feels like a game only the wealthy can afford to attend.
Sports analysts say the chaos exposes the dark side of online ticketing in countries where the system is still new to many fans. With no purchase limits and weak anti-scalping safeguards, tech-savvy resellers swooped in like vultures, leaving genuine supporters staring at “sold out” messages. Similar ticket wars have scarred mega-events like the FIFA World Cup, prompting global organizers to introduce ID-linked sales, staggered ticket drops, and strict buying caps.
Now the calls for action are deafening. Fans are demanding CAF and the Local Organizing Committee tighten the ticketing net, hunt down black market vendors, and return the game to its rightful owners , the people in the stands. If they fail, CHAN 2024 risks being remembered not for the goals, but for the greed that priced out the passion.
