Every participant in the Premier League anticipated to be absent from matches due to participation in the African Cup of Nations this season
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 is set to take place in Morocco at the end of 2025, and several Premier League clubs are preparing for the potential absence of their African players.
Everton forward Beto will not be participating in AFCON 2025 as Guinea-Bissau did not qualify. However, Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal) and Idrissa Gueye (Senegal) are some of the players from Everton who might be representing their countries in the tournament.
Arsenal, Chelsea, and Leeds United do not have any African players in their squads, so they will not be affected by player absences during AFCON 2025. On the other hand, clubs like Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have many African internationals, are likely to be hit hardest by the tournament.
Bournemouth will not miss Amine Adli (Morocco) as he will be representing his country in AFCON 2025. Ghana's absence from the tournament means Bournemouth will also not miss Antoine Semenyo.
Sunderland could be missing as many as nine players for AFCON 2025, while Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest could be without four players each. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), Christantus Uche (Nigeria), Cheick Doucoure (Mali), Chadi Riad (Morocco) are some of the players from Crystal Palace who might be participating in AFCON 2025.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah will represent Egypt in AFCON 2025, but Manchester City's Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri might not be available for City due to the tournament. In contrast, Tottenham's Mohammed Kudus will be available for Spurs as Gambia did not qualify.
Axel Tuanzebe (Democratic Republic of Congo), Manuel Benson (Angola), and Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia) are some of the players from Burnley who might be participating in AFCON 2025. Brighton will be able to call on Yankuba Minteh as Gambia failed to make it to AFCON 2025.
Wolves may be without five players due to AFCON 2025, and Brentford might also be missing Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria), and Lyle Foster (South Africa).
The first game of AFCON 2025 will be played on December 21, and the final will be played on January 18, 2026. Clubs will need to manage their squads carefully during this period to ensure they have enough players available for crucial Premier League matches.
