The biggest ever FIFA World Cup is not the only major international tournament on the horizon, you know.
AFCON 2025 is taking place in Morocco this winter, with 24 African nations set to battle it out for continental glory.
For many of the players involved, the 28-day tournament will be the highlight of their footballing careers, while fans are equally hyped — with tickets selling faster than ever before.
However, many Premier League fans have a love-hate relationship with AFCON. While having a major international tournament slap bang in the middle of the domestic season adds excitement and colour during a long winter, it can also leave some clubs without their star men during one of the busiest periods of the campaign.
When is AFCON 2025?
AFCON 2025, the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, starts on December 21, 2025 and concludes with the final on January 18, 2026.
The tournament will include 52 matches in total, taking place in nine venues across six cities — Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Rabat and Tangier.
How many Premier League matches clash with AFCON 2025?
It is expected that any Premier League player involved in AFCON 2025 will miss at least three club games. Those who progress beyond the quarter-finals will likely miss six Premier League games, plus one FA Cup match.
Any player taking part in AFCON 2025 is unlikely to be available for matchweek 17 of the Premier League season, which takes place over the weekend of December 20 and 21.
Matchweeks 18 and 19 also clash with the group stage, meaning the minimum number of Premier League games any player misses will likely be three.
Meanwhile, Premier League matchweeks 20 and 21 are currently pencilled in for January 3 and 7, with the AFCON round of 16 taking place between January 3 and 5.
To make way for the FA Cup, the next round of Premier League fixtures is not until the weekend of January 17 and 18. But that weekend clashes with the AFCON final and third-place playoff, ruling out players from any team that reaches the semi-finals.
Which Premier League clubs will lose the most players to AFCON 2025?
Sunderland are set to be hit harder than any other Premier League side, with nine players expected to be called up by their national teams.
Wolves, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest will also feel the impact, each losing multiple key squad members during one of the busiest stretches of the season. At the other end of the scale, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United are not expected to lose a single player to the tournament.
Among the most high-profile English-based AFCON 2025 stars are likely to be Liverpool’s record-breaking Egyptian Mohamed Salah, Manchester United’s Cameroonian forward Bryan Mbeumo and Everton’s leading scorer Iliman Ndiaye.
Manchester United will be without Cameroon’s Bryan Mbeumo for between three and seven games during AFCON 2025
Sunderland players likely going to AFCON 2025 (9)
- Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco)
- Blondy Nna Noukeu (Cameroon)
- Reinildo Mandava (Mozambique)
- Habib Diarra (Senegal)
- Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast)
- Arthur Masuaku (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Noah Sadiki (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Ahmed Abdullahi (Nigeria)
- Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso)
Wolves players likely going to AFCON 2025 (5)
- Marshall Munetsi (Zimbabwe)
- Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe)
- Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast)
- Tolu Arokodare (Nigeria)
- Jackson Tchatchoua (Cameroon)
Burnley players likely going to AFCON 2025 (4)
- Axel Tuanzebe (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Manuel Benson (Angola)
- Lyle Foster (South Africa)
- Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)
Crystal Palace players likely going to AFCON 2025 (4)
- Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)
- Christantus Uche (Nigeria)
- Cheick Doucoure (Mali)
- Chadi Riad (Morocco)
Nottingham Forest players likely going to AFCON 2025 (4)
- Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast)
- Willy Boly (Ivory Coast)
- Taiwo Awoniyi (Nigeria)
- Ola Aina (Nigeria)
Fulham players likely going to AFCON 2025 (3)
- Calvin Bassey (Nigeria)
- Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
- Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria)
Manchester United players likely going to AFCON 2025 (3)
- Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
- Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco)
- Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)
Brentford players likely going to AFCON 2025 (2)
- Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso)
- Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)
Everton players likely going to AFCON 2025 (2)
- Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal)
- Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
Manchester City players likely going to AFCON 2025 (2)
- Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
- Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria)
Tottenham players likely going to AFCON 2025 (2)
- Yves Bissouma (Mali)
- Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal)
West Ham players likely going to AFCON 2025 (2)
- El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal)
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Democratic Republic of Congo)
In addition to the clubs listed above, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Liverpool and Newcastle are each expected to lose one player to AFCON 2025.
Evann Guessand is likely to be called up by Ivory Coast from Villa, while Bournemouth’s Amine Adli should join Morocco.
Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba is set to feature for Cameroon, Mohamed Salah will lead Egypt away from Liverpool, and Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa is expected to represent the Democratic Republic of Congo.
As mentioned earlier, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United are not expected to lose any players to this winter’s Africa Cup of Nations.
