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The English Premier League will be the hardest hit by the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as the tournament will kick off during the busy festive period next year.
English Premier League clubs will suffer the most following the new dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations announced on Friday by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
CAF settled on between December 21, 2025, and January 18, 2026, for the tournament set to be held in Morocco and while it might be risky to predict the future, the arrangement spells doom for Premier League clubs.
This is because December and January is the busiest time for Premier League clubs with fixture congestion during the festive period where recovery time is just 48 hours.
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12:48 - 22.06.2024
AFCON 2025: What new tournament dates mean for Kenya
CAF announced new dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and it will have an impact on a number of leagues including Kenya.
It means every team need to have all their players available but with the new dates, the teams will have to release their players for the tournament so that they can link up with their national teams.
It might be argued that teams in England have always had to release players since the AFCON has been played in January and February, except in 2019, but that was after the fixture congestion.
Premier League managers have always lamented the short time that players have between matches in December and January and will not be happy with having limited options during such a busy period.
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22:10 - 21.06.2024
AFCON 2025: More interruption in the offing as CAF settles on new dates for tournament in Morocco
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament will be held later next year in Morocco and not in the summer as it had initially been planned.
Unlike other European leagues which go on recess between December and January, the English top flight only recently introduced a short winter break, adding an extra layer of frustration.
The 2025 AFCON will take place midway through the 2025-26 campaign when some of the current African players in the Premier League might have changed homes but new ones would have arrived.
However, there are some certainties like Manchester United’s Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana, who will likely still be the Red Devils No1 beyond next season, now that manager Erik ten Hag is set to sign a new contract while Chelsea’s Ivorian striker Nicolas Jackson would probably be undroppable by then.
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12:30 - 18.06.2024
Relief for Harambee Stars as AFCON 2025 qualifiers likely to be hosted on home soil after all
Nyayo Stadium could be available for use by September, which now means Harambee Stars won't have to host their home matches abroad again, having played Burundi and Ivory Coast in Malawi.
It means United and Chelsea would have to do without their first-choice goalkeeper and striker respectively during the busy festive fixtures which could have a bearing on their performances and placing on the league table.
Liverpool could also be impacted if Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah extends his current deal beyond the 2024-25 campaign as he is a vital cog for both the club and national team while West Ham might have to do without star midfielder Mohammed Kudus of Ghana if he does not make a move away.
Other teams likely to suffer big are Brentford: Frank Onyeka (Nigeria), Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Yoane Wissa (DR Congo), Fulham: Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi (Nigeria), Fode Ballo-Toure (Senegal), Tottenham Hotspur: Yves Bissouma (Mali), Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal) and Arsenal if Ghanaian Thomas Partey extends his stay in North London.
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