Premier League clubs are bracing for a significant mid-season shake-up as several top African players prepare to leave for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The tournament’s timing means many English clubs will lose key players during one of the busiest periods of the football calendar, forcing managers to test their squad depth amid a congested winter fixture list.
Liverpool will be among the hardest hit, with talisman Mohamed Salah expected to join Egypt for the continental showpiece. His absence could see him miss up to six Premier League matches, including crucial encounters against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Fulham.
Manchester United will also face challenges, with Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo all likely to represent their nations. Fulham could be without three Nigerian internationals — Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Chukwueze — while Nottingham Forest may miss Ola Aina, Willy Boly, and Ibrahim Sangaré.
Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield will be weakened by the departures of Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal), Yves Bissouma (Mali), and Mohammed Kudus (Ghana).
The competition will affect several other clubs across the league:
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Aston Villa: Evann Guessand (Ivory Coast)
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Brentford: Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)
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Burnley: Lyle Foster (South Africa), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)
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Crystal Palace: Christantus Uche (Nigeria)
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Everton: Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
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Manchester City: Omar Marmoush (Egypt), Rayan Aït-Nouri (Algeria)
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West Ham United: El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo)
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Wolverhampton Wanderers: Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast), Tolu Arokodare (Nigeria)
With many teams losing influential players for nearly a month, the AFCON tournament is set to pose one of the toughest endurance tests for Premier League squads in recent years.
