When are Premier League players leaving for AFCON 2025?
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Many players from the English league will join their national teams on 15th December.
Premier League clubs must release all players participating in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by Monday, December 15.
This indicates that participants will be together with their teammates for six days before the competition begins on Sunday, 21 December. Meanwhile, the final event will occur on Sunday, 18 January 2026.
English clubs told to release players for AFCON by 15th December
Following discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), FIFA has confirmed that the release period will commence on Monday, before the start of the competition.
A FIFA statement added: “It was also determined that Member Associations participating in the CAF Afcon 2025 and clubs released players who would be playing in continental competitions during the release period be encouraged to hold bilateral discussions in good faith to find appropriate individual solutions.”
FIFA also announced that it will “apply guidelines” to clubs in circumstances where there is a conflict and intervene between clubs and national teams.
Anyhow, players are currently expected to miss a few club games, including the ones that are planned on the day they are supposed to join up with their national teams.
In the Premier League, Manchester United host AFC Bournemouth on the final day by which players are last permitted to join their national team squads.
On that day, there will be games in the EFL Championship, LaLiga, Serie A, and top divisions of Portuguese and Turkish football, in addition to Rangers’ Scottish Premiership encounter against Hibernian.
United to lose three players for AFCON 2025
United have three players expected to participate in the AFCON, including attacker Bryan Mbuemo (Cameroon), forward Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), and defender Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco).
Besides Mazraoui, Bournemouth midfielder Amine Adli may play for Morocco. In the past, United had voiced concerns about players leaving before the official date, raising doubts about whether they would play on Monday, December 8, when they travel to Wolves.
At the moment, United are expected to seek a delay until at least after their home encounter against Bournemouth on 15 December.
Also read: Which Premier League club will be most affected by AFCON 2025?
When are Premier League players expected to leave for AFCON 2025?
They will leave for AFCON 2025 by December 15.
How many players will Man Utd lose to AFCON?
They are expected to lose three players.
When is AFCON starting?
It will begin on Sunday, 21 December. Meanwhile, the final event will occur on Sunday, 18 January 2026.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.