Premier League clubs are preparing for a major mid-season disruption as many African players are expected to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
Top-flight teams across England will be impacted, with key players from Liverpool, Manchester United, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, and other clubs set to miss several crucial fixtures during the busy winter period.
The disruption will be felt heavily by several clubs. Liverpool, for instance, faces the loss of star forward Mohamed Salah, who could miss up to six Premier League matches, including high-profile clashes against Tottenham, Arsenal, and Fulham. Manchester United is set to lose Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo.
Fulham will be without three Nigerian internationals: Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Chukwueze. Similarly, Nottingham Forest will be missing Ola Aina, Willy Boly, and Ibrahim Sangaré, while Tottenham Hotspur will lose key midfielders Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, and Mohammed Kudus.
AFCON 2025 is expected to be a significant test of squad depth for Premier League managers, who must navigate the congested winter fixture schedule without some of their key internationals.
Here is a list of prominent players expected to be called up for the tournament:
- Aston Villa: Evann Guessand (Ivory Coast)
- Brentford: Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)
- Burnley: Lyle Foster (South Africa), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia)
- Crystal Palace: Christantus Uche (Nigeria)
- Everton: Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal), Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
- Fulham: Calvin Bassey (Nigeria), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria), Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria)
- Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
- Manchester City: Omar Marmoush (Egypt), Rayan Aït-Nouri (Algeria)
- Manchester United: Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)
- Nottingham Forest: Ola Aina (Nigeria), Willy Boly (Ivory Coast), Ibrahim Sangaré (Ivory Coast)
- Tottenham Hotspur: Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal), Yves Bissouma (Mali), Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
- West Ham: El Hadji Malick Diouf (Senegal), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR Congo)
- Wolves: Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast), Tolu Arokodare (Nigeria)
Share On:
CLICK HERE TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC/VIDEO