The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is about to begin. The opening match will be played in Rabat on Sunday, December 21.
Ivory Coast are the defending champions. They lifted the trophy in the 2023 final after beating Nigeria.
This year’s tournament will be held in Morocco. A total of 24 teams will compete. The action will run for a full month. AFCON remains one of the biggest and most respected international tournaments in football.
For Premier League fans, this time of year brings mixed feelings. Many of Africa’s top players play in England. That means several clubs will lose important squad members for weeks.
The moment AFCON appears on the calendar, fans start checking fixtures. Managers start planning without key players. Depth is tested quickly.
Players were officially released on Monday, December 15. FIFA set this date as mandatory. Clubs had no choice but to let their players go.
Premier League AFCON 2025 date
The tournament kicks off on December 21. Hosts Morocco will face Comoros in the opening match.
Because of this timing, most Premier League players left after games on December 13 and 14. That weekend marked their final club appearances before AFCON.
There was one exception. Manchester United played Bournemouth on December 15 at Old Trafford. Both teams had players selected for AFCON. Special permission was granted by national teams. This allowed players like Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo to feature in the match before leaving.
Now, Premier League clubs must adjust. AFCON has officially arrived. And the impact will be felt across the season.
Premier League AFCON stars’ last played games and their possible return
Algeria
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Rayan Ait-Nouri | Man City | Dec 14: Crystal Palace (A) | Jan 4: Chelsea (H) |
Burkina Faso
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Dango Ouattara | Brentford | Dec 14: Leeds (H) | Jan 4: Everton (A) |
| Bertrand Traore | Sunderland | Dec 14: Newcastle (H) | Jan 4: Tottenham (A) |
Cameroon
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Man United | Dec 15: Bournemouth (H) | Jan 4: Leeds (A) |
| Carlos Baleba | Brighton | Dec 13: Liverpool (A) | Jan 3: Burnley (H) |
DR Congo
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Arthur Masuaku | Sunderland | Dec 14: Newcastle (H) | Jan 4: Tottenham (A) |
| Noah Sadiki | Sunderland | Dec 14: Newcastle (H) | Jan 4: Tottenham (A) |
| Axel Tuanzebe | Burnley | Dec 13: Fulham (H) | Jan 3: Brighton (A) |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | West Ham | Dec 14: Aston Villa (A) | Jan 3: Wolves (A) |
Egypt
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Omar Marmoush | Man City | Dec 14: Crystal Palace (A) | Jan 4: Chelsea (H) |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Dec 13: Brighton (H) | Jan 4: Fulham (A) |
Ivory Coast
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Emmanuel Agbadou | Wolves | Dec 14: Arsenal (H) | Jan 3: West Ham (H) |
| Amad Diallo | Man United | Dec 15: Bournemouth (H) | Jan 4: Leeds (A) |
| Willy Boly | N. Forest | Dec 14: Tottenham (H) | Jan 3: Aston Villa (A) |
| Ibrahim Sangare | N. Forest | Dec 14: Tottenham (H) | Jan 3: Aston Villa (A) |
Mali
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Yves Bissouma | Tottenham | Dec 14: N. Forest (A) | Jan 4: Sunderland (H) |
Morocco
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Noussair Mazraoui | Man United | Dec 15: Bournemouth (H) | Jan 4: Leeds (A) |
| Chemsdine Talbi | Sunderland | Dec 14: Newcastle (H) | Jan 4: Tottenham (A) |
Mozambique
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Reinildo Mandava | Sunderland | Dec 14: Newcastle (H) | Jan 4: Tottenham (A) |
Nigeria
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Calvin Bassey | Fulham | Dec 13: Burnley (A) | Jan 4: Liverpool (H) |
| Samuel Chukwueze | Fulham | Dec 13: Burnley (A) | Jan 4: Liverpool (H) |
| Alex Iwobi | Fulham | Dec 13: Burnley (A) | Jan 4: Liverpool (H) |
| Frank Onyeka | Brentford | Dec 14: Leeds (H) | Jan 4: Everton (A) |
Senegal
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| El Hadji Malick Diouf | West Ham | Dec 14: Aston Villa (A) | Jan 3: Wolves (A) |
| Idrissa Gana Gueye | Everton | Dec 13: Chelsea (A) | Jan 4: Brentford (H) |
| Habib Diarra | Sunderland | Dec 14: Newcastle (H) | Jan 4: Tottenham (A) |
| Pape Matar Sarr | Tottenham | Dec 14: Nottingham Forest (A) | Jan 4: Sunderland (H) |
| Ismaila Sarr | Crystal Palace | Dec 14: Man City (H) | Jan 4: Newcastle (A) |
| Iliman Ndiaye | Everton | Dec 13: Chelsea (A) | Jan 4: Brentford (H) |
South Africa
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Lyle Foster | Burnley | Dec 13: Fulham (H) | Jan 3: Brighton (A) |
Tunisia
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Hannibal Mejbri | Burnley | Dec 13: Fulham (H) | Jan 3: Brighton (A) |
Zimbabwe
| Player | Club | Last game | Earliest possible return date |
| Tawanda Chirewa | Wolves | Dec 13: Arsenal (H) | Jan 3: West Ham (H) |
